Late Aortic Rupture Due to Stent Margin Pseudoaneurysm Formation Complicating Endovascular Stent Graft Repair of a Thoracic Aortic Mycotic Aneurysm

Secondary aorto-esophageal fistula after thoracic aortic aneurysm endovascular repair treated by covered esophageal stenting

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair for thoracic aortic aneurysms is an accepted alternative to open surgery, especially in patients with significant comorbidities. The procedure itself has a low risk of complications and fistulas to surrounding organs are rarely reported. An 86-year-old patient was admitted to our hospital with gastro intestinal (GI) bleeding and a suspected aortoesophageal fistula. Eight months prior, the patient had undergone a stent graft repair of a mycotic thoracic aneurysm. Computerized tomography angiography and upper GI endoscopy confirmed an aortoesophageal fistula, which was treated by esophageal stenting. With early recognition, esophageal stenting may have a role in the initial emergency control of bleeding from and palliation of aortoesophageal fistula.

Mycotic aneurysms of the abdominal aorta due to Listeria monocytogenes

INTRODUCTION

Infected abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) can present insidiously with non-specific symptoms or they may present as ruptured AAA in the classical manner.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We report two cases of mycotic AAA with Listeria monocytogenes. One patient presented with a ruptured aneurysm, while the other patient had a symptomatic non-ruptured presentation with computer tomography (CT) angiogram demonstrating peri-aortic inflammatory change of a rapidly expanding aneurysm. Both patients were treated with excision of the infected tissue and inlay prosthetic surgical repair as well as long term antibiotics.

DISCUSSION

Arterial aneurysms caused by L. monocytogenes are rare. Risk factors include immunosuppression, infective endocarditis, intravenous drug use and septicaemia. Listeria infections should be discussed with the Health Protection Agency and local microbiologists due to their ubiquity.

CONCLUSION

Abdominal aortic aneurysm due to L. monocytogenes is best managed via surgical resection in combination with long term antimicrobial therapy. The role of endovascular exclusion is unclear.

Aortoesophageal fistula after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair of a mycotic thoracic aneurysm

Mycotic aneurysms constitute a small proportion of aortic aneurysms. Endovascular repair of mycotic aneurysms has been applied with good short-term and midterm results. However, the uncommon aortoenteric fistula formation remains a potentially fatal complication when repairing such infective aneurysms. We present the case of an 80-year-old woman with thoracic and abdominal aortic mycotic aneurysms, which were successfully treated with endografting. However, the patient presented 3 months later with upper gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to erosion of the thoracic graft into the oesophagus. The patient was treated conservatively due to the high risk of surgical repair. There is currently little exposure to the management of mycotic aortic aneurysms. If suspected, imaging of the entire vasculature will aid initial diagnosis and highlight the extent of the disease process, allowing for efficient management. Aortic endografting for mycotic thoracic aneurysms is a high-risk procedure yet is still an appropriate intervention. Aortoenteric fistulae pose a rare but severe complication of aortic endografting in this setting.