Successful management of ruptured mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm in a child

Mycotic aneurysm of the abdominal aorta is a serious disorder that generally carries a grave prognosis. A few survivors have been reported in adults but none in children. This report describes the successful management of ruptured mycotic abdominal aneurysm in a 10-year-old girl. The entire aneurysm was excised, and aortic continuity restored with low porosity bifurcated Dacron graft. With no macroscopic suppuration, we believe aortic continuity is a logical way to deal with this grave situation in children. Antibiotic cover was given pre and postoperatively for a total of six weeks. To our knowledge, this is the only surviving case in children in the literature. The pathogenesis and diagnosis of mycotic and infected aneurysm is discussed, and the literature has been reviewed.