A 56-year-old man with co-prevalence of Leriche syndrome and dilated cardiomyopathy: case report and review

We report about a 56-year-old man with dyspnoea and leg pain diagnosed with Leriche syndrome and chronic heart failure caused by dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with acute cardiac decompensation. Optimising of chronic heart failure therapy with diuretic and antihypertensive drugs leaded to recompensation. A defibrillator was implanted, and afterwards surgical therapy of Leriche syndrome was planned. Leriche syndrome is an uncommon variant of atherosclerotic occlusive disease characterised by total occlusion in abdominal aorta and/or both iliac arteries. If aortic stenosis develops slowly, collateral vascular circulation can be found frequently. Typical symptoms are claudication, symptoms related to an arterial insufficiency of the lower extremities, erectile dysfunction and weight loss. Risk factors of Leriche syndrome are diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipaemia and smoking. Further it is often associated with chronic renal failure and coronary artery disease. Diagnosis is normally made by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Standard therapy is surgical revascularisation. DCM is a common cause of a congestive heart failure, which could be induced by coronary artery disease, hypertension, toxic, metabolic, inflammatory and infectious agents, and inherited gene defects.