Spondyloarthropathy-associated aortitis and massive thickening of the aortic-mitral curtain: diagnosis by echocardiography.

Cardiac involvement in reactive arthritis is well-recognized, and usually results in aortic regurgitation, proximal aortitis, and conduction system abnormalities. Aortitis is usually recognized in conjunction with aortic regurgitation, but can be diagnosed in isolation as aortic root thickening and subaortic fibrous ridging. We report a case of spondyloarthropathy-associated aortitis diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography. The case illustrates the aortic root pathology and highlights the unique morphologic echocardiographic feature of this condition, prominent thickening of the aortic-mitral curtain.