Coral Reef Aorta: Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Coral reef aorta is a distinct calcifying disease causing luminal obstruction of the suprarenal aorta. We report three cases of coral reef aorta. Two of the three patients had symptoms related to significant aortic obstruction and were treated with a thromboendarterectomy. Extensive visceral embolization occurred in the third patient, which required a vascular bypass. Forty-one cases of coral reef aorta were reported in the literature and the overall in-hospital mortality rate of coral reef aorta, including our three cases, is 13.3% (6/44 patients). Multiple organ failure is the main cause of death. Coral reef aorta is a rare disease of the suprarenal aorta which can cause potentially lethal renal and visceral infarctions.