[Infectious or inflammatory aortitis? One case report]

The infectious or inflammatory nature of an aortitis is difficult to assert because the microbiological results are often negative. The development of an aneurysm under treatment is rare, but requires a change in the therapeutic strategy and the etiologic diagnosis needs to be discussed again.

We report the case of a 69-year-old woman treated by corticotherapy for an aortitis thought to be inflammatory, who required emergency surgery when a dissected aneurysm appeared. The peroperative samples were positive to Streptococcus pneumoniae using polymerase chain reaction and allowed a change of the diagnosis. The patient evolved favorably under antibiotic therapy.

The decision to treat an aortitis by corticotherapy must be made with caution even if the microbiological tests are negative.