Multiple cerebral abscesses because of Listeria monocytogenes: three case reports and a literature review of supratentorial listerial brain abscess(es).

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system involvement often follows bacteremia because of Listeria monocytogenes. Meningitis is clinically the most common manifestation, while brain abscess occurs in about 1% of patients. Brain abscess is usually solitary but in recent years, probably in part because of the availability of computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, several reports have described two or more separate supratentorial abscesses. METHODS: We have described three patients with listerial brain abscesses and reviewed the North American and European literature of brain abscess(es) because of L. monocytogenes through December 2001. We have evaluated the role of underlying diseases and therapeutic immunosuppression on the development of solitary or greater than one brain abscess. RESULTS: In contrast to meningitis, where immunosuppression does not predispose either to disease incidence or to higher mortality, patients with solitary and particularly those with more than one supratentorial abscess usually are immunosuppressed either by disease or by therapy. Corticosteroids in particular are significant predisposing factors, especially in those patients with two or more brain abscesses. Mortality resulting from listerial brain abscess, whether solitary or multiple, is nearly three times higher than nonlisterial brain abscess, probably in part because of both underlying diseases and immunosuppressive therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Therapy with high-dose ampicillin in combination with gentamicin appear to be the drugs of choice, followed by trimethoprim/sufamethoxazole and vancomycin. In general, antimicrobial therapy appears to be satisfactory treatment without surgical intervention.

Endovascular repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic and iliac artery aneurysm with an acute iliocaval fistula secondary to lymphoma.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are common and generally asymptomatic unless rupture occurs. A 3 to 4-cm AAA has a 1-2% risk of rupture over 5 years. We present the case of an 85-year-old male with a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a 3-cm infrarenal AAA, and a 2-cm right common iliac artery aneurysm whose AAA ruptured and who developed an acute iliac artery-to-vena cava fistula secondary to eroding adenopathy from an aggressive low-grade lymphoma. Initially, an open repair was attempted but access to the aorta was not possible because of complete encasement of the infrarenal and suprarenal aorta with tumor that was clinically invading the aortic wall. Secondary tumor invasion into the aorta is a rare complication. An endovascular repair was accomplished with successful exclusion of both the aneurysm and the iliocaval fistula. Endovascular repair provides a valuable alternative in the "hostile abdomen" when standard open repair may be hazardous or impossible.