Ruptured Mycotic Aneurysm of the Common Carotid Artery: A Case Report

Hybrid endovascular and surgical staged approach for mycotic carotid pseudoaneurysms: a case report and literature review

Background

Mycotic carotid pseudoaneurysms represent a challenge for surgeons. They are rare and associated with high mortality and morbidity.

Methods

We reported a case of a 61-year-old man with a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of carotid bifurcation. The case was managed by a staged procedure, starting with initial endovascular control using a stent graft, followed by open arterial reconstruction using a saphenous vein graft.

Results

The patient was discharged home with a patent carotid artery and no sign of infection or bleeding. A computed tomography scan performed at 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year later confirmed good patency of the graft without imaging of cerebral ischemia.

Conclusions

Mycotic pseudoaneurysms of the extracranial carotid artery are rare and should always be treated surgically. This disease, despite its rarity, requires early detection and treatment to avoid fatal outcomes. A hybrid staged approach is suggested, compared to one-staged surgery, to avoid rupture and improve clinical outcomes. This approach involves using a stent graft combined with antibiotic therapy as bridge treatment until definitive surgery can be performed to enable arterial reconstruction with an autologous graft.

Common Iliac Artery Mycotic Pseudoaneurysm Associated with a Prevertebral Infection: A Case Report

Introduction

Mycotic pseudoaneurysms are rare but severe sequelae of an arterial wall infection. If undiagnosed and untreated they can lead to significant morbidity and mortality through complications such as arterial rupture or dissection.

Case report

This report details the case of a 64-year-old-male who developed a left common iliac artery mycotic pseudoaneurysm from Proteus mirabilis, which was associated with a prevertebral abscess. The patient presented with isolated, left lower extremity edema and intermittent fevers. The case is unique in both the pathogen (P mirabilis) and in its association with presumed direct arterial wall infection from an adjacent prevertebral abscess.

Conclusion

The obscure presentation highlights the need for a high clinical suspicion of such a diagnosis when a patient presents with a certain constellation of symptoms and the right predisposing risk factors in their history.

Infective Native Extracranial Carotid Artery Aneurysms: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Infective native extracranial carotid artery aneurysms are rare, and their management is variable due to a lack of evidence assessing outcomes.

METHODS

We performed a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines to identify all reported cases of infective native extracranial carotid artery aneurysms between January 1970 and March 2021.

RESULTS

This study identified 193 infective native aneurysms of the extracranial carotid artery from 154 sources. Patients were predominantly male (71.4%), and age ranged from 6 months to 89 years old. The most common presenting features were a neck mass and fever, but also included hemorrhage, respiratory distress, and neurological symptoms. Most aneurysms were located in the internal carotid artery (47.4%). Staphylococcus (23.3%) was the most commonly identified causative pathogen, followed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (20.9%). Most appeared to become infected by direct local spread. Treatment strategies involved open surgical methods in 101 cases and an endovascular approach in 41 cases. In 4 cases, a hybrid method involving concurrent endovascular and open surgical management was undertaken. In 5 cases, there was antibiotic treatment alone. In the open surgery-treated group, the complication rate was 20.8% compared to 13.2% in the endovascular group. Mortality rate was 5.6%.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review identified 193 cases of infective native extracranial carotid artery aneurysms. Direct local spread of a staphylococcus infection was the commonest cause. Endovascular management was associated with fewer early complications than open surgical management.

Bilateral common carotid artery mycotic aneurysms in the setting of intravenous drug abuse

Carotid mycotic aneurysms are rare, and fewer than five case reports have described carotid mycotic aneurysms due to intravenous drug abuse. Rare bilateral intracranial mycotic carotid aneurysms have been reported, although a review of literature revealed no cases of bilateral extracranial carotid aneurysms. We have reported the case of a 41-year-old man who had presented with intermittent fevers, headaches, and myalgias of 2 weeks' duration. He was found to have bilateral carotid artery mycotic aneurysms after intravenous drug abuse with neck injections. We used a management strategy entailing unilateral endovascular balloon control with open surgical resection followed by placement of a saphenous vein graft. The contralateral aneurysm was managed nonoperatively with antibiotics.

Mycotic Aneurysm of Internal Carotid Artery Secondary to Livestock-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Clonal Complex CC398

The aim of this article is to present a case of mycotic aneurysm of internal carotid artery secondary to livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) treated with resection and common-to-internal carotid artery bypass with autologous vein graft in a male pig farmer. A 69-year-old man, pig farmer, with recent dental extraction was admitted with a right cervical pulsatile mass, dysphonia, pain, leukocytosis and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). Ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed a 3.9 × 4.5 cm mycotic aneurysm of right internal carotid artery with hypermetabolic uptake in positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Resection of the mycotic aneurysm and a common-to-internal carotid artery bypass with major saphenous vein graft were performed. LA-MRSA clonal complex (CC) 398 was detected in intraoperative samples and antibiotic therapy was changed according to antibiogram. Patient was discharged at the seventh postoperative day and received antibiotic therapy for 6 weeks. US 12 months later showed patency of the bypass without collections. Mycotic aneurysms of internal carotid artery are very infrequent. MRSA isolation is rare, and to the best of our knowledge this is the first case caused by multi-drug resistant LA-MRSA CC398. The treatment includes mycotic aneurysm resection and reconstruction with venous graft bypass plus intensive antibiotic therapy.

Etiology and treatment patterns of ruptured extracranial carotid artery aneurysm

OBJECTIVE

Rupture of an extracranial carotid artery aneurysm (ECAA) is a very rare and life-threatening condition. To obtain a comprehensive view of previous and current management of ruptured ECAAs (rECAAs), we analyzed all cases reported since 1940 and two of our own cases.

METHODS

We performed a comprehensive literature review of reports from the MEDLINE database on rECAAs and included two patients treated in our department.

RESULTS

A total 58 reports of 74 rECAAs in 74 patients were analyzed. Their mean age was 50 years, and the male/female ratio was 2.2:1. Infection was the most common reported etiology (19 of 74; 26%), followed by connective tissue disorder (13 of 74; 18%), atherosclerosis (9 of 74; 12%), and previous trauma (5 of 74; 7%). For 28 patients (38%), information on the etiology was not available. Of the 74 patients, 24 (32%) had undergone reconstructive surgery, 10 (14%) had undergone endovascular treatment, 17 (23%) had undergone ligation, 2 (3%) had been treated conservatively, and 1 (1%) had died before receiving definite treatment. For 20 patients (27%), information on the treatment received was not available. The complications after reconstruction included carotid blowout (3 of 24 patients; 13%) and cranial nerve deficit (3 of 24 patients; 13%). Two patients (8%) had died of unrelated ECAA causes during long-term follow-up, and one patient (4%) had died of an ECAA-related cause within 30 days. After an endovascular approach, 1 of the 10 patients had developed a cranial nerve deficit. After ligation, five patients (29%) had experienced stroke, three of which were fatal. One conservatively treated patient had experienced no complications and one had died of an ECAA-related cause.

CONCLUSIONS

The most common reported etiology for rECAA was infection. Reconstructive surgery was the most common approach and was safer than ligation, which carried a high risk of stroke. Endovascular treatment showed promising results, especially for distally located aneurysms; however, the number of patients has remained low.

Giant Carotid Artery Aneurysm

Carotid artery aneurysms account for 4% of peripheral aneurysms and may present as a neck mass, with hemispheric ischaemic symptoms, or with symptoms secondary to local compression. This case explores the presentation, investigations and management of a presumed mycotic common carotid artery aneurysm in a 77-year-old male, which was repaired using end-to-end interposition vein graft using long saphenous vein. This report discusses the aetiology, presentation and surgical management for carotid artery aneurysms, as well as focusing on that of the rare mycotic carotid artery aneurysm.

Hybrid Solution for Mycotic Pseudoaneurysm of Carotid Bifurcation

Mycotic pseudoaneurysms of the extracranial carotid artery are rare and need surgical treatment to prevent rupture or embolization. We treated a case of a carotid bifurcation pseudoaneurysm secondary to infection caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis. We successfully treated it using a catheter balloon to obtain carotid bifurcation's control and replacing the carotid bifurcation with a vein graft. Management involves aneurysmectomy associated with antibiotic therapy and restoration of arterial continuity.

Mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the extracranial carotid artery, a severe and rare disease, a case report

BACKGROUND

Mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the carotid artery is a severe and rare disease. When it ruptures, it can produce severe morbidity and high mortality. It presents clinically as a pulsatile mass, usually diagnosable by computed tomography angiography with definitive confirmation achieved by establishing the presence of the pathogen in the tissue sample.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present the case of a 68-year-old male patient with a history of total laryngectomy. He presented with painful and pulsatile mass in his neck and, after precise evaluation, a ruptured carotid mycotic pseudoaneurysm was promptly detected and treated. After a surgical intervention and an adequate course of antibiotics, the patient successfully recovered.

CONCLUSIONS

Mycotic pseudoaneurysms of the extracranial carotid artery are uncommon and should always be surgically treated. Due to the high risk of potential complications, restoration of the arterial flow should be attempted in all occasions. High clinical awareness is imperative when approaching a mycotic pseudoaneurysm due to its wide spectrum of clinical symptoms, and must always be considered when diagnosing tumors of the neck. Despite its rarity, early detection and prompt treatment are critical to minimize the possibility of a fatal outcome.