Open Repair of Superior Mesenteric Artery Mycotic Aneurysm in an Adolescent Girl

Presentation and Management of Rare Saccular Superior Mesenteric Artery Trunk and Branch Aneurysms

Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) aneurysm is caused by degeneration of the visceral arteries. Although a rarely encountered entity, it requires timely management owing to the high mortality rate associated with rupture, particularly when the aneurysm is saccular in nature. As such, urgent treatment is generally indicated. We present five cases of SMA aneurysm arising from the main trunk or branches of the SMA.

Double aneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery: case report

Superior mesenteric artery aneurysms are rare, accounting for less than 0.5% of all intra-abdominal aneurysms. They are mainly caused by atherosclerosis and septic emboli resulting from bacterial endocarditis. Although uncommon, these aneurysms are considered dangerous because of possible complications such as rupture with hemorrhage and intestinal ischemia. Since the consequences can be very serious, early diagnosis and treatment are essential to improve outcomes. Although there is no well-defined consensus, recommended treatments include open surgery, endovascular therapy, and watchful waiting with periodic examinations. In this article we report the case of an asymptomatic 58-year-old man with an incidental and unusual finding of two superior mesenteric artery aneurysms. Since anatomy was not favorable for an endovascular approach, open surgery was performed, using a dacron graft to successfully repair the artery.

Pediatric nonaortic arterial aneurysms

OBJECTIVE

Pediatric arterial aneurysms are extremely uncommon. Indications for intervention remain poorly defined and treatments vary. The impetus for this study was to better define the contemporary surgical management of pediatric nonaortic arterial aneurysms.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted of 41 children with 61 aneurysms who underwent surgical treatment from 1983 to 2015 at the University of Michigan. Arteries affected included: renal (n = 26), femoral (n = 7), iliac (n = 7), superior mesenteric (n = 4), brachial (n = 3), carotid (n = 3), popliteal (n = 3), axillary (n = 2), celiac (n = 2), ulnar (n = 2), common hepatic (n = 1), and temporal (n = 1). Intracranial aneurysms and aortic aneurysms treated during the same time period were not included in this study. Primary outcomes analyzed were postoperative complications, mortality, and freedom from reintervention.

RESULTS

The study included 27 boys and 14 girls, with a median age of 9.8 years (range, 2 months-18 years) and a weight of 31.0 kg (range, 3.8-71 kg). Multiple aneurysms existed in 14 children. Obvious factors that contributed to aneurysmal formation included: proximal juxta-aneurysmal stenoses (n = 14), trauma (n = 12), Kawasaki disease (n = 4), Ehlers-Danlos type IV syndrome (n = 1), and infection (n = 1). Preoperative diagnoses were established using arteriography (n = 23), magnetic resonance angiography (n = 6), computed tomographic arteriography (n = 5), or ultrasonography (n = 7), and confirmed during surgery. Indications for surgery included risk of expansion and rupture, potential thrombosis or embolization of aneurysmal thrombus, local soft tissue and nerve compression, and secondary hypertension in the case of renal artery aneurysms. Primary surgical techniques included: aneurysm resection with reanastomsis, reimplantation, or angioplastic closure (n = 16), interposition (n = 10) or bypass grafts (n = 2), ligation (n = 9), plication (n = 8), endovascular occlusion (n = 3), and nephrectomy (n = 4) in cases of unreconstructable renal aneurysmal disease. Later secondary operations were required to treat stenoses at the site of the original aneurysm repairs (n = 2) and new aneurysmal development (n = 1). Postoperative follow-up averaged 47 months (range, 1-349 months). No major perioperative morbidity and no mortality was encountered in this experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric arterial aneurysms represent a complex disease that affects multiple vascular territories. Results of the current series suggest that individualized surgical treatment, ranging from simple ligations to major arterial reconstructions, was durable and can be undertaken with minimal risk.

Mycotic aneurysm of the superior and inferior mesenteric artery

OBJECTIVE

Visceral artery aneurysms as a result of arterial degenerative disease are rare (0.1%-2%), and the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) accounts for 3.2% of all reported series. The current incidence of inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) aneurysm is unknown. However, infective causes (mycotic) of SMA and IMA aneurysm as a result of primary, secondary, and cryptogenic etiology remain a separate entity and attain fewer cases in the literature. Currently, there is no consensus on their presentation, diagnosis, and overall management.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-aggregation of literature from 1944 to March 2015 in the English language and of adult subjects in MEDLINE, Ovid, CINAHL, and the Cochrane database was conducted.

RESULTS

The median age of patients with SMA aneurysm was 36 (range, 14-92) years, with a significant male predominance (73% vs 27%). In order of prevalence, abdominal pain (n = 25; 65%), low-grade fever (n = 23; 60%), malaise (n = 10; 26%), weight loss (n = 9; 23%), and nausea and vomiting (n = 8; 20%) were the most common presenting signs and symptoms. The most common microorganism was Streptococcus (n = 18; 47%), followed by Staphylococcus (n = 11; 28%). The investigative modality of choice was computed tomography (n = 22; 57.8%), followed by ultrasonography of the abdomen (n = 9; 23%). Primary etiology was noted in 5.4%, secondary in 71%, and cryptogenic in 13% of all cases. Aneurysmectomy alone was associated with bowel resection in four cases (10.5%), whereas aneurysmectomy with interposition vein grafting required no further intervention. The inpatient mortality after surgery was 7.8%, and the overall mortality was 15%. The median follow-up was 12 months (range, 2-120 months). The median age of patients with IMA aneurysm was 48 (range, 22-64) years, with a male predominance of 2:1 and abdominal pain in all cases (n = 3; 100%). The most common microorganism was Streptococcus (n = 2; 66.6%), and the operation of choice was aneurysmectomy (n = 2; 66.6%) after computed tomography scan (n = 3; 100%) as an investigative modality of choice.

CONCLUSIONS

The pentad of abdominal pain, pyrexia of unknown origin, malaise, weight loss, and nausea remains the most convincing presentation of mycotic aneurysms of the SMA and IMA. Computed tomography is the investigative modality of choice, and such patients are best served with aneurysmectomy alone in IMA aneurysms and interposition vein grafting in SMA aneurysms after initiation of antimicrobial therapy on suspicion of the diagnosis.

A 44-year-old man with abdominal pain, lung nodules, and hemoperitoneum

A 44-year-old man presented with a 1-day history of sudden-onset abdominal pain. The pain was characterized as severe, diffuse, sharp, and nonradiating. Associated symptoms included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and subjective fevers. He was originally from El Salvador, but had not traveled in > 10 years. Review of systems was positive for 2 weeks of dry cough with associated mild, bilateral, pleuritic chest pain and subjective weight loss. His medical history was notable for gout and end-stage renal disease secondary to chronic nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use, for which he attended hemodialysis sessions three times weekly. Surgical history consisted of a currently nonfunctioning left upper extremity fistula, a longstanding right internal jugular PermCath IV access for chronic hemodialysis that had been removed 2 weeks prior to presentation, and a left brachiocephalic fistula. He did not smoke, consume alcohol, or have a history of illicit drug use.