Mycotic aneurysms of the hepatic artery. Treatment with arterial embolization

In a 29 year old white man with acute Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis of the aortic valve two mycotic aneurysms of the hepatic artery developed during antibiotic treatment. One aneurysm was treated with surgical ligation and the other with Gelfoam embolization. Successful obliteration of the embolized aneurysm was demonstrated by hepatic arteriography two months later. The pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and management of hepatic mycotic aneurysms is discussed with emphasis on arterial embolization.