A Case of Multiple Inflammatory Aneurysms Treated with Multimodality Treatment / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

An 88-year-old woman presented at a local hospital with a left femoral pulsatile mass. CT revealed saccular aneurysms with irregular intima in the descending thoracic aorta, the right common femoral artery and the left superficial femoral artery. They were 60 mm, 30 mm, and 25 mm in diameter, respectively. After referral to our hospital, multiple inflammatory aneurysms were strongly suspected by detailed examinations. Endovascular treatment including thoracic endovascular aortic repair and surgical replacement were performed by two-stage operations. After steroid therapy was started postoperatively, her c-reactive protein (CRP) value decreased. Nevertheless, the thoracic aortic aneurysm enlarged and she died due to hemorrhage. Multiple inflammatory aneurysms are extremely rare. We consider that appropriate steroid therapy and close follow-up are most important.

An Operative Case of Idiopathic Nonspecific Inflammatory Aneurysms of the Abdominal Aorta / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

We report a case of surgical treatment for idiopathic nonspecific inflammatory aneurysms of the abdominal aorta (AAA) with high-dose steroid therapy. The patient was a 35-year-old man who underwent steroid therapy (30 mg/day prednisolone) for idiopathic nonspecific inflammatory AAA and right common iliac artery aneurysm (CIAA) for 5 months. However, the sizes of the aneurysms were slowly increasing, and they were sacculated types, so surgical replacement was performed. Before the operation we continued to give 30 mg/day prednisolone, because decreasing the medicine made the c-reactive protein (CRP) value rise. Perioperatively the therapy continued, and the postoperative course was uneventful. With appropriate steroid therapy, replacement of idiopathic nonspecific inflammatory aneurysms of the abdominal aorta can be performed. It is also important to follow up the patient from long-term, to monitor for pseudoaneurysms from anastomosis or new aneurysms.

Clinical Review of the 12 Inflammatory Aneurysms

The optimal management of inflammatory aneurysm is still a matter of controversy, especially in surgical aspect. The disease is a infrequent entity and without surgical intervention, usually lead to uncontrolled sepsis or catastrophic hemorrhage. We report 12 cases of inflammatory aneurysms those admitted and were managed at Kangnam St. Mary's hospital during 6 years from April, 1991 through April, 1997. The medical records and dermographical datas of these patients were reviewed. Of these 12 patients, ten were male and three were female in age range from 37 through 80 years with a mean of 60 years. The diagnosis was mainly based on operative findings with aids of radiological and microbiological evidences. The number of location of involved arterial segments were 4 of thoracic aorta, 1 of suprarenal abdominal aorta, and 7 of infrarenal abdominal aorta including 2 of common iliac arteries. The main symptoms of these patients were abdominal or chest pain in 11 according to the location of the involved arterial segments, back pain in 6, fever and chillness in 8. The incidence of suspicious infected microorganisms of the patients, not of the credible direct cause of aneurysm itself, were 3 of Salmonellosis in Widal test, 2 of tuberculosis in AFB or sputum culture, 2 of G(-) bacilli in blood culture, and 1 of syphilis in FTA-ABS . 8 patients were operated by substituting the diseased arterial segments with artificial graft and 4 patients were medically managed. Of the 8 patients operated, one died within 48 hours after operation by sepsis. 7 patients were discharged by ambulation. In the 4 medically treated patients, one expired in hospital and three were discharged hopelessly. 7 patients those discharged after operation has been managed in out-patient department.