Vascular amyloidosis causing spontaneous mediastinal haemorrhage with haemothorax

Bleeding diathesis is a recognised complication of amyloid disease. Localised and generalised bleeding manifestations are usually associated with intravascular coagulopathy related to isolated or Multiple coagulation factor deficiencies. Recently, there have been reports of haemorrhage due to amyloid deposition in blood vessel walls and in the perivascular region leading to increased fragility and poor haemostasis. We report a case of spontaneous mediastinal haemorrhage due to amyloid involvement of vascular tissue in the absence of coagulopathy. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.