Unusual femoral artery mycotic aneurysm complicated by infective spondylitis

Rupture of Mycotic Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm as a Result of Incompletely Treated Multiple Peripheral Mycotic Aneurysms

Background: A mycotic aortic aneurysm is a rare type of aortic aneurysm that can have disastrous outcomes. Most mycotic aneurysms originate from infectious sources, such as trauma, vegetation in the heart, and adjacent infectious sources. If a mycotic aneurysm is diagnosed, it should be treated simultaneously with the primary source of the infection. Case Summary: Treatment was performed for a mycotic aneurysm of the brachial artery that occurred suddenly during treatment for a fever for which the primary source of infection had not been confirmed. The workup revealed that a mycotic aneurysm of the brachial artery was the cause of the fever, followed by aneurysms in the abdomen and lower extremities and even vegetation in the heart that was not initially present. The patient declined to undergo treatment for personal reasons. After 5 months, it was revealed that the abdominal aortic aneurysm, which was initially considered normal aorta, was ruptured; however, the aneurysm was successfully treated. Conclusions: A peripheral mycotic aneurysm may be associated with multiple aneurysms. Appropriate diagnosis and complete treatments are necessary to prevent fatal consequences.

Infective native arterial aneurysms and inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms: An overview with a focus on emergency settings

Infective native arterial aneurysms and inflammatory aortic aneurysms are rare but morbid pathologies seen by vascular surgeons in the emergency setting. Presentation is not always clear, and a full workup must be obtained before adopting a management strategy. Treatment is multidisciplinary and is tailored to every case based on workup findings. Imaging with computed tomography, magnetic resonance, or with fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography aids in diagnosis and in monitoring response to treatment. Open surgery is traditionally performed for definitive management. Endovascular surgery may offer an alternative treatment in select cases with acceptable outcomes. Neither technique has been proven to be superior to the other. Physicians should consider patient's anatomy, comorbidities, life expectancy, and goals of care before selecting an approach. Long-term pharmacological treatment, with antibiotics in case of infective aneurysms and immunosuppressants in case of inflammatory aneurysms, is usually required and should be managed in collaboration with infectious disease specialists and rheumatologists.

Diagnosis and management of mycotic aneurysms

We reviewed all papers most recently reported in the literature related to infected arterial aneurysms (IAAs) affecting the aorta and vascular beds other than the aorta. In this article, we report on vascular beds other than the aorta. As is the case for aortic IAAs, infected non-aortic aneurysms are rarely encountered. The majority of recent studies are limited to case reports and small series of unusual infected aneurysms. A comprehensive review of this entity was performed based on the available literature from January through December 2008 in all languages. Available reports were analyzed with respect to demographic features, type of presentation, methods of diagnosis and therapy, follow-up, and outcome (morbidity and mortality).