ABSTRACT
Endovascular infection of atherosclerotic aorta is a rare event in the setting of aged patients gram negative bacteremia of the salmonella group. Until the beginning of the 60s this meant an ominous diagnosis with an almost unavoidable fatal prognosis. Presently, this trend has been reverted, mostly due to an earlier diagnosis, the development of more sophisticated imaging techniques, the correct use of broad spectrum bactericidal antibiotics and prompt surgical management. Paradoxically, the incidence of arterial infections has increased in recent years, specially in old people with atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysms, in whom infective endocarditis could not be demonstrated. We describe the case of a 65 year old man, with a history of long-standing non-insulin-dependent diabetes, presenting with protracted fever, weight loss and thigh pain. Blood cultures and serologic studies as well as several echocardiograms yielded negative results. An abdominal CT scan showed an infrarenal aortic aneurysm raising the clinical suspicion of arterial infection of abdominal aorta. The patient underwent surgery because of highly presumptive diagnosis of complicated aortic aneurysm. The resection was followed by an in situ graft. There was no evidence of disruption or gross collection. Samples of the aortic wall and perianeurysmatic fluid grew Salmonella enteritides. We describe the main etiopathogenic and clinic features of the entity highlighting the high sensitivity and specificity of the CT scan in the identification and characterization of infected aortic aneurysm. Certain features may firmly suggest this diagnosis without using preoperative aortography.