PRODUCTIVE-CICATRICIAL SYPHILITIC DISEASE OF THE PULMONARY ARTERY

Abstract

Syphilis may affect the pulmonary artery as a productive-cicatricial lesion like that form common in the aorta, the so-called Döhle-Heller type; it may occur as a gummatous arteritis, or it may be manifested simply by the formation of gummas. Warthin further accepted as syphilitic a form of diffuse arteritis which affects principally the smaller vessels. Neither he nor Brüning, Thorel, Henschen or Rogers, all of whom he quoted in support of this view, offered definite or convincing proof. The conclusions of these investigators were arrived at by probability, exclusion or belief, based occasionally on the finding of syphilitic lesions elsewhere in the body. In spite of Peck's excellent critique of the matter, the recent report of a case by Hare and Ross is based on the presence only of suspicious lesions in the systemic aorta. These authors quoted Thomas in support of their conclusion, but many of Thomas' cases did