Mycotic aneurysm of the hepatic artery in pediatric liver transplantation: A case series and literature review

Infected popliteal pseudoaneurysm in a youth basketball player: A case report and brief review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

An infected popliteal pseudoaneurysm has never been described in the pediatric population. Physicians need to be aware of its presentation and management, in order to diagnose and treat this medical condition adequately.

METHODS

We describe the case of a 14-year-old boy who developed myositis and cellulitis centered at the popliteal fossa after playing basketball. A treatment of intravenous cefazolin was started. 5 days later, he experienced a knee pain flare-up, which turned out to be a popliteal pyomyositis with a pseudoaneurysm of the popliteal artery. A saphenous vein graft bypass of the popliteal artery and an excision of the popliteal pseudoaneurysm were performed. Intravenous cefazolin was continued for 6 weeks and prophylactic acetylsalicylic acid for 6 months.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

This case highlighted the importance of repeating radiologic investigations if a patient suffering from soft tissue infection has persistent pain after several days of appropriate antibiotics. A popliteal pseudoaneurysm can be diagnosed with ultrasound imaging and treated with a popliteal-popliteal bypass. Our patient needed a catheter-guided dilation of the anastomosis at the vein graft 6 months post-surgery, and then evolved favorably and went back to playing basketball 6 months post-dilation.

Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm in the Liver Transplant Recipient: A Case Series

Introduction

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare and potentially fatal complication of liver transplantation with a reported incidence of 0.3–2.6% and associated mortality approaching 75%. Clinical presentation typically includes sudden hypotension, gastrointestinal bleed or abnormal liver function tests within two months of transplantation. We report a series of four cases of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm in adult liver transplant recipients with the goal of identifying factors that may aid in early diagnosis, prior to the development of life threatening complications.

Methods

A retrospective chart review at a high volume transplant center revealed 4 cases of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm among 553 liver transplants (Incidence 0.72%) between March 2013 and March 2017.

Results

Two of the four patients died immediately after intervention, one patient survived an additional 151 days prior to death from an unrelated condition and one patient survived at two years follow up. All cases utilized multiple imaging modalities that failed to identify the pseudoaneurysm prior to diagnosis with computed tomography angiography (CTA). Two cases had culture proven preoperative intrabdominal infections, while the remaining two cases manifested a perioperative course highly suspicious for infection (retransplant for hepatic necrosis after hepatic artery thrombosis and infected appearing vessel at reoperation, respectively). Three of the four cases either had a delayed biliary anastomosis or development of a bile leak, leading to contamination of the abdomen with bile. Additionally, three of the four cases demonstrated at least one episode of hypotension with acute anemia at least 5 days prior to diagnosis of the hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm.

Conclusions

Recognition of several clinical features may increase the early identification of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm in liver transplant recipients. These include culture proven intrabdominal infection or high clinical suspicion for infection, complicated surgical course resulting either in delayed performance of biliary anastomosis or a biliary leak, and an episode of hypotension with acute anemia. In combination, the presence of these characteristics can lead the clinician to investigate with appropriate imaging prior to the onset of life threatening complications requiring emergent intervention. This may lead to increased survival in patients with this life threatening complication.

Successful endovascular management of multiple mycotic aneurysms after liver transplantation - A case report and review of the literature

Background

Mycotic vascular complications after liver transplantation are rare but can be pose a serious threat to the liver graft and the patient’s life. Mycotic complications can present as an incidental finding on routine imaging, or as haemorrhagic shock. Traditionally, these mycotic vascular complications were managed with open surgery.

Method/results

In this case report, we describe a patient who had developed multiple sequential mycotic aneurysms after liver transplantation which were managed successfully using endovascular and percutaneous techniques.

Conclusion

An endovascular approach is minimally invasive and will be the way forward in managing these mycotic vascular complications.

Anaesthetic management of organ transplant patients

In this paper we will describe anaesthetic management of solid organ and reconstructive transplantation (RT) patients. We will focus on similar underlying principles of reperfusion, ischaemic-reperfusion injury, preconditioning and extracorporeal donor organ preservation. Special concerns for anaesthetic management of these patients need to focus on pre-assessment, pre-operative optimisation, vascular access, fluid management, blood and products replacement, cardiovascular monitoring, use of inotropes and vasoconstrictors, maintaining electrolyte balance and regional anaesthesia. Despite the complexity and long duration of transplant procedures, fast-tracking to the surgical ward after transplantation is becoming more popular and its benefits are well recognised.