Acute aortic dissection in a patient with extremely low body mass index due to anorexia nervosa.

ABSTRACT

We report a case of successful surgical repair of an acute aortic dissection (Stanford Type A) in a severely malnourished 39-year old patient with anorexia nervosa (body mass index [BMI] 11.3 kg/m2) and essential hypertension. The case is of interest since 1) acute aortic dissection in patients with anorexia nervosa has not previously been described; 2) hypertension is extremely rare in patients with eating disorders; and 3) successful aortic repair in a patient with so low BMI has not been reported before. We conclude that extremely low BMI due to anorexia nervosa is not an absolute contraindication for major aortic surgery.