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Aortic graft infection from appendicitis. A case report

P Lauwers1, K De Greef, F Van den Brande

  • 1University Hospital of Antwerp, Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Edegem, Belgium. patrick.lauwers@uza.be

Acta Chirurgica Belgica
|October 8, 2004
PubMed

Insights

A rare case of aortobifemoral graft infection caused by appendicitis is presented. The infected graft was removed and replaced with a new prosthesis, highlighting this unusual complication.

Area of Science:

  • Vascular Surgery
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • A 73-year-old male with a history of aortobifemoral and femoropopliteal bypass presented with abdominal pain.
  • Previous vascular reconstructions included aortobifemoral bypass (15 years prior) and left femoropopliteal bypass (5 years prior).

Observation:

  • Extensive work-up initially suggested aortobifemoral graft infection.
  • Exploratory laparotomy revealed an appendiceal abscess infiltrating the vascular prosthesis.

Findings:

  • Appendectomy was performed, followed by the removal of the infected aortobifemoral graft.
  • The removed graft was replaced with a bilateral axillofemoral prosthesis.

Implications:

  • Appendicitis is an extremely rare cause of aortic graft infection.
  • This case underscores the importance of considering unusual etiologies for graft infections.
  • A review of similar rare cases is presented to inform clinical practice.

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