Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2002;22:145
© 2002 Elsevier Science NL
Images in cardio-thoracic surgery |
The ability of salmonella to drill holes in the aorta
Carlos-A. Mestres*,
Ernesto Greco,
César G. Madrid,
José L. Pomar
Cardiovascular Surgery, The Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Hospital Clínico, University of Barcelona, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Received 22 January 2002;
received in revised form 27 March 2002;
accepted 28 March 2002.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +34-93-227-5515; fax: +34-93-451-4898
e-mail: cmestres{at}clinic.ub.es
Key Words: Salmonella • Aortic arch • Vascular homograft
A 56-year-old male with fever and enlarged mediastinum underwent examinations for lymphoma. He had back pain and hypotension. Computed tomography showed a false aneurysm of the aortic arch (Fig. 1a)
. Pathological aorta was excised. Reconstruction of the large hole on the aortic arch (Fig. 1b) with oval patch tailored from cryopreserved thoracic aorta was performed under hypothermic circulatory arrest. Blood and aortic cultures grew Salmonella. The patient had uneventful recovery. One year later is free from infection.
View larger version (70K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 1. (a) Preoperative CAT scan showing the large aneurysm of the aortic arch. (b) Intraoperative view of the large arch defect.
|
|
