A Fatal Case of Multiple Mycotic Aortic Aneurysms Following Septic Arthritis and Complicated by Aneurysm Rupture and Aortoenteric Fistula

Mokhtarodin Shakibani¹, Hassan Tahir^2, and Vistasp daruwalla³

¹Hospitalist, Altoona Regional health System hospital, 620 Howard Avenue, Altoona, PA 16601, USA

²Department of Internal Medicine, Temple University/Conemaugh Memorial Hospital, 1086 Franklin Street, Johnstown, PA 15905, USA

³Department of Radiology, Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, 4201 St Antoine St, Detroit, MI 48201, USA

Cite this paper

Mokhtarodin Shakibani, Hassan Tahir and Vistasp daruwalla. A Fatal Case of Multiple Mycotic Aortic Aneurysms Following Septic Arthritis and Complicated by Aneurysm Rupture and Aortoenteric Fistula. American Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2015; 3(12):394-398. doi: 10.12691/AJMCR-3-12-3

Abstract

Mycotic aneurysms are rare infectious vascular disorders, which predominantly occur in aorta and peripheral vessels. Clinically apparent mycotic aneurysms are usually well advanced at the time of presentation as early clinical diagnosis of infected aneurysms is challenging owing to vague and non-specific symptoms. Delayed treatment of mycotic aneurysms often lead to life threatening complications including rupture, hemorrhage and aortoenteric fistula resulting in poor outcome and high mortality and morbidity. High degree of suspicion is required to accurately diagnose mycotic aneurysms and prevent complications. Despite surgery and aggressive medical management, mortality rate is high. Septic arthritis is one of the rare causes of mycotic aneurysm, which usually occur if there is delayed, or no treatment. We report a case of complicated mycotic aortic aneurysms in a patient with septic arthritis resulting in a fatal outcome. This case report not only highlights the importance of early recognition and management of Mycotic aneurysms, but also stresses accurate diagnosis and treatment of predisposing conditions like septic arthritis, as aggressive management of predisposing conditions can safely prevent life threatening mycotic aortic aneurysms.

Keywords

Mycotic aortic aneurysms, Septic Arthritis, Aneurysm rupture, Aortoenteric fistula

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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