A Clinical Case of Aortic Root Abscess Caused by Brucellosis: Molecular Diagnosis, Surgical Treatment and Successful Management

Brucellosis involving the aorta and iliac arteries: a systematic review of 130 cases

Objective: Brucellosis, the most common bacterial zoonosis, poses a serious threat to public health in endemic regions. Cardiovascular complications of brucellosis, mostly pericarditis or endocarditis, are the leading cause of brucellosis-related death. Complications involving the aorta and iliac arteries are extremely rare but can be life-threatening. Our objective was to identify and review all reported cases of aortic and iliac involvement in brucellosis to provide a deep, up-to-date understanding of the clinical characteristics and management of the disease. Methods: Online searches in PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Chinese Wanfang database were conducted to collect articles reporting cases of brucellosis with aortic and iliac artery involvement. All data in terms of patient demographics, diagnostic methods, clinical manifestations, and treatment regimens and outcomes were extracted and analyzed in this systematic review. Results: A total of 79 articles were identified, reporting a total of 130 cases of brucellosis with aortic and iliac artery involvement. Of the 130 cases, 110 (84.5%) were male individuals and 100 (76.9%) were over 50 years old. The patients had an overall mortality rate of 12.3%. The abdominal aorta was most commonly involved, followed by the ascending aorta, iliac artery, and descending thoracic aorta. Arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and smoking were the most common comorbidities. There were 71 patients (54.6%) who presented with systemic symptoms of infection at the time of admission. Endovascular therapy was performed in 56 patients (43.1%), with an overall mortality rate of 3.6%. Open surgery was performed in 52 patients (40.0%), with an overall mortality rate of 15.4%. Conclusion: Aortic and iliac involvement in brucellosis is extremely rare but can be life-threatening. Its occurrence appears to be associated with the male gender, an older age, arteriosclerosis, and smoking. Although the number of reported cases in developing countries has increased significantly in recent years, its incidence in these countries may still be underestimated. Early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention are critical in improving patient outcomes. Endovascular therapy has become a preferred surgical treatment in recent years, and yet, its long-term complications remain to be assessed.

Involvement of the aorta in brucellosis: the forgotten, life-threatening complication. A systematic review

Human brucellosis is a disease of protean manifestations, and has been implicated in complications and focal disease in many human organ systems. However, little is collectively known about the background, the course, the clinical characteristics, the diagnostic issues raised, and the short- and long-term therapeutic approaches in patients with aortic involvement as a complication of brucellosis. With the aim to glean from the literature useful information to better understand and manage this complication, a computerized search without language restriction was conducted using PubMed and SCOPUS. An article was considered eligible for inclusion in the systematic review if it reported data on patients with involvement of the aorta due to a Brucella infection. The epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of 44 cases of brucellar aortic involvement found through the systematic review of the literature were analyzed together with those of two new cases that we treated in the recent past. This complication involved the ascending thoracic aorta in 18 cases (in 16 of them as a consequence of brucellar endocarditis), and the descending thoracic aorta or the abdominal aorta in the remaining 30 cases. In the latter it was associated with spondylodiscitis of the lumbar spine in 13 cases. History of or symptoms indicative of brucellosis were not universally present. Brucellar aortic involvement represents a possibly underdiagnosed and underreported complication with major morbidity and mortality potential. Experience with novel invasive therapeutic approaches remains limited. Early suspicion through detailed history and diagnosis, aided by advances in aortic imaging, would allow for better planning of therapeutic interventions.