Computed tomography fistulography of the sternum. A case report on interprofessional collaboration between
Mine Onat1, Per Hostrup Nielsen1, Henrik Jensen1
1Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Introduction:
Trans sternal fistula can occur after sternotomy/heart surgery. Diagnosing this can be difficult.
Presentation Of Case:
In this report, we present a unique case of a patient with infection of an ascending aortic prosthetic graft. This patient was oozing from the wound despite several revisions. Many fistulographies were performed before fistulography with surgeon and radiologist revealed a trans sternal fistula.
Discussion:
Infection with Propionibacterium acnes is often difficult to diagnose. This is in line with the present case, where a surgeon guided fistulography had to be performed followed by appropriate redo surgery with succesful subsequent sternal wound healing.
Conclusion:
Our case demonstrates the importance of performing a fistulography with the presence of a surgeon, to obtain the best possible result.
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