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Published on: September 28, 2015
Acute aortitis of the ascending aorta
Sahar A Saddoughi1, Martin D Abel2, Joseph J Maleszewski3
1Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
|April 4, 2017
Summary
This study details a rare case of infectious aortitis affecting the ascending aorta, presenting as a focal non-aneurysmal condition with a mural thrombus. Surgical intervention and antibiotics led to successful treatment, though the infection
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Vascular Surgery
Background:
- Aortitis, inflammation of the aorta, can present in various forms.
- Focal non-aneurysmal aortitis with mural thrombus is an exceptionally rare clinical scenario.
Observation:
- A patient presented with a rare form of ascending aortic disease characterized by focal inflammation and a mural thrombus, without aortic aneurysm.
- The clinical presentation mimicked other aortic pathologies, necessitating detailed investigation.
Findings:
- Surgical resection of the affected aortic segment and subsequent intravenous antibiotic therapy resulted in a successful clinical outcome.
- Pathological examination of the resected tissue strongly indicated an infectious etiology for the aortitis.
- The specific source of the infectious agent remains unidentified despite comprehensive evaluation.
Implications:
- This case highlights the importance of considering infectious aortitis in the differential diagnosis of focal aortic lesions.
- Successful management underscores the role of combined surgical and antimicrobial approaches in rare aortitis presentations.
- Further research may be needed to elucidate the origins of cryptogenic infectious aortitis.
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