Infectious endocarditis complicated with intracranial infected aneurysm rupture and sinus of valsalva aneurysm rupture.

BACKGROUND: Infectious endocarditis (IE) is an infectious disease caused by direct invasion of the heart valve, endocardium, or adjacent large artery endocardium by pathogenic microorganisms. Despite its relatively low incidence, it has a poor prognosis and a high mortality. Intracranial infectious aneurysms (IIA) and ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (RSVA) are rare complications of IE. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a young male patient with symptoms of respiratory tract infection, heart murmurs and other symptoms and signs. The patient also had kidney function impairment and poor response to symptomatic therapy. Blood culture was negative, but echocardiography was positive, which met the diagnostic criteria for infective endocarditis. Moreover, an echocardiography showed a ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm with a ventricular septal defect. Finally, secondary rupture of an IIA with multiple organ damage led to a poor clinical outcome. CONCLUSION: Therefore, in the clinical setting, for young patients with unexplained fever, chest pain, or palpitations, we need to be highly vigilant, considering the possibility of infective endocarditis and promptly performing blood culture, echocardiography, cerebrovascular imaging and so on, in order to facilitate early proper diagnosis and treatment.

MRI of unruptured infectious intracranial aneurysms in infective endocarditis. A case-control study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of T2* and FLAIR sequences in the detection of unruptured infectious intracranial aneurysms (UIIAs) in infective endocarditis (IE) including the relationships between the lesion patterns within subarachnoid spaces and the presence of UIIA. METHODS: Retrospective review of 15 consecutive patients with definite IE undergoing MR imaging (FLAIR, T2*, DWI, CE-MRA, 3D-T1, CE-3DT1 sequences), in whom DSA detected infectious intracranial aneurysms (IIA). Aneurysmal features (diameter, location, morphology on DSA) and signal patterns onT2*, FLAIR and conventional MR sequences at the site of the UIIA, follow-up MRI and IE background, were analyzed. A control-group of 15 IE-patients without IIA at DSA served for comparison. RESULTS: Among 17 UIIAs studied, T2* sequence displayed a susceptibility vessel sign in 15/17 (88.2%), both distal and proximal, which matched with the IIA visualized on DSA. Three patterns of hyposignal areas were identified: (a) signet-ring or target-sign appearance (n = 7), (b) homogeneous, round-, oval- or pear-shaped area (n = 4), and (c) heterogeneous area (n = 4). A FLAIR hyperintensity of the lumen and of the adjacent cortex was present in 6 (35.3%) and 9 (53%) UIIAs, respectively. On T1 (12 UIIAs) a rounded hyposignal (n = 2), within the UIIA lumen matched with the FLAIR hypersignal. Using both T2* and FLAIR had an incremental value with 100% sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: The susceptibility vessel sign is an MR imaging pattern frequently observed at the site of UIIAs in IE-patients. Both T2* and FLAIR may have the potential to depict UIIAs, regardless of their location and shape.

Endovascular treatment of infectious intracranial aneurysms complicating infective endocarditis: a series of 31 patients with 55 aneurysms.

PURPOSE: Endovascular treatment (EVT) has become a major option in management of infectious intracranial aneurysms (IIAs) complicating infective endocarditis. We report a retrospective, single-center series of consecutive patients with IIAs treated by EVT. METHODS: Patients were included from January 2009 to July 2020. IIAs were diagnosed on DSA. Each patient underwent a neurological assessment before and after EVT and was followed up by imaging within 15 days of EVT. Safety was assessed on the evolution of NIHSS score. A minor stroke was defined as a worsening of NIHSS < 4 points. Efficacy was defined as the absence of hemorrhagic event during cardiac surgery and the exclusion of the IIA on control imaging. RESULTS: Sixty-two IIAs (30 ruptured) were diagnosed in 31 patients. Fifty-six IIAs were diagnosed on the first DSA and 6 on the early control exploration. EVT was achieved in 55 IIAs by parent artery occlusion with glue in 52 distal IIAs and coils in 3 proximal IIAs. IIAs were located in 90.9% of cases on a fourth-division branch of a cerebral artery. The neurological examination remained unchanged in 29 patients (93.5%), and 2 patients suffered minor stroke. EVT was performed before cardiac surgery in 20/22 patients. All treated IIAs were excluded on follow-up imaging. No hemorrhage was observed during cardiac surgery or in the aftermath. Seven (11.3%) unruptured IIAs were not embolized. CONCLUSION: EVT of IIAs by occlusion of the parent artery is effective in preventing rupture and carries no significant neurological risk.

[A case of subcortical hemorrhage due to infective endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus warneri without fever and leukocytosis].

A 50-year-old man with mitral regurgitation presented with right frontal subcortical hemorrhage. Although he had no fever and his white blood cell count was in the normal range, CT angiography demonstrated a micro cerebral aneurysm, and all three blood cultures were positive for Staphylococcus warneri (S. warneri). Thus, we diagnosed him with infective endocarditis. His condition improved successfully by immediate antibiotics and cerebral aneurysm clipping. S. warneri is a member of coagulase-negative staphylococci that are low-virulence and resident flora of the skin. S. warneri rarely causes infective endocarditis on native valves. Infective endocarditis caused by S. warneri manifests insidious course without inflammatory reactions such as fever and leukocytosis, and thus, diagnosis can be delayed. Attention should be paid to a patient who develops subcortical hemorrhage without a history of hypertension or inflammatory reactions as in this case.

Erratum to Evaluating the safety and efficacy of various endovascular approaches for the treatment of infectious intracranial aneurysms: a systematic review. World Neurosurgery. Volume 144, December 2020, Pages 293-298.e15.

OBJECTIVE: A review of endovascular cerebral mycotic aneurysm treatment with Onyx liquid embolic, N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA), or coil embolization has not been reported. The authors conduct a systematic review on endovascular treatment methods of mycotic aneurysms. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases for studies published between 1986 and 2020. All studies assessing outcomes related to endovascular Onyx embolization, NBCA embolization, or coiling were included. RESULTS: A total of 74 studies were ultimately selected, including 180 (67% male) patients comprising 243 aneurysms treated endovascularly. The mean age was 38.2 ± 17.6 years, and the most common symptom on presentation was headache (31%). Most aneurysms were located on the middle cerebral artery (52.5%), and over half presented with rupture (53.8%). Coiling was the most commonly employed technique (50.4%), and obliteration rates were comparable across coiling, NBCA, and Onyx (99.1%, 100%, 100%, respectively). Complication rates were also comparable (4.3% vs. 15.2% vs. 8.1%). CONCLUSION: Embolization for infectious intracranial aneurysm appears to be an effective treatment option for mycotic aneurysms. Embolization rates were comparable between coiling, NBCA, and Onyx embolization. Noninferiority among these modalities cannot be demonstrated given the retrospective nature of this review, evolution of endovascular techniques over the years, and changes in treatment paradigms in the last 2 decades. Ideally, further prospective research will be needed to find which treatment method offers the lowest complication rates and the best outcomes for patients with mycotic aneurysms.

Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Various Endovascular Approaches for Treatment of Infectious Intracranial Aneurysms: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: A review of endovascular cerebral mycotic aneurysm treatment with Onyx liquid embolic, N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA), or coil embolization has not been reported. The authors conduct a systematic review on endovascular treatment methods of mycotic aneurysms. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases for studies published between 1986 and 2020. All studies assessing outcomes related to endovascular Onyx embolization, NBCA embolization, or coiling were included. RESULTS: A total of 73 studies were ultimately selected including 180 (67% male) patients comprising 243 aneurysms treated endovascularly. The mean age was 38.2 ± 17.6 years, and the most common symptom on presentation was headache (31%). Most aneurysms were located on the middle cerebral artery (52.5%), and over half presented with rupture (53.8%). Coiling was the most commonly employed technique (50.4%), and obliteration rates were comparable across coiling, NBCA, and Onyx (99.1%, 100%, 100%, respectively). Complication rates were also comparable (4.3% vs. 15.2% vs. 8.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Embolization for infectious intracranial aneurysm appears to be an effective treatment option for mycotic aneurysms. Embolization rates were comparable among coiling, NBCA, and Onyx embolization. Noninferiority among these modalities cannot be demonstrated given the retrospective nature of this review, evolution of endovascular techniques over the years, and changes in treatment paradigms in the past 2 decades. Ideally, further prospective research will be necessary to find which treatment method offers the lowest complication rates and the best outcomes for patients with mycotic aneurysms.

Rapid formation and rupture of an infectious basilar artery aneurysm from meningitis following suprasellar region meningioma removal: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Infectious basilar artery (BA) aneurysm has been occasionally reported to be generated from meningitis following transcranial operation. However, infectious BA aneurysm formed by intracranial infection after endoscopic endonasal operation has never been reported. CASE PRESENTATION: A 53-year-old man who was diagnosed with suprasellar region meningioma received tumor removal via endoscopic endonasal approach. After operation he developed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak and intracranial infection. The patient ultimately recovered from infection after anti-infective therapy, but a large fusiform BA aneurysm was still formed and ruptured in a short time. Interventional and surgical measures were impossible due to the complicated shape and location of aneurysm and state of his endangerment, therefore, conservative anti-infective therapy was adopted as the only feasible method. Unfortunately, the aneurysm did not disappear and the patient finally died from repeating subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). CONCLUSION: Though extremely rare, it was emphasized that infectious aneurysm can be formed at any stage after transnasal surgery, even when the meningitis is cured. Because of the treatment difficulty and poor prognosis, it was recommended that thorough examination should be timely performed for suspicious patient to make correct diagnosis and avoid fatal SAH.

MRI Presentation of Infectious Intracranial Aneurysms in Infective Endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: The radiographic appearance of infectious intracranial aneurysms (IIAs) of infective endocarditis (IE) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain is varied. We aimed to describe the IIA-specific MRI features in a series of patients with IIAs. METHODS: Records of patients with active IE who had digital subtraction angiography (DSA) at a tertiary medical center from January 2011 to December 2016 were reviewed. MRIs performed prior to IIA treatment were reviewed for findings on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), diffusion-weighted imaging, and T1 with and without contrast. RESULTS: Of the 732 patients with IE, 53 (7%) had IIAs. Of these, 28 patients had an evaluable pre-treatment MRI, in whom 33 IIAs were imaged. MRI to DSA median time was 1 day (interquartile range = 1-5). On MRI, 12 (36%) IIAs had SWI lesion with contrast enhancement, 7 (21%) had cerebral microbleeds, 3 (11%) had sulcal SWI lesion, 2 (6%) IIAs had abscesses, 3 (9%) had intraparenchymal hemorrhage, 3 (9%) had subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 6 (18%) had ischemic stroke at the anatomical locations of IIAs. Four IIAs (12%) had no correlating MRI findings, though those patients had MRI without contrast. CONCLUSION: The MRI features such as SWI lesion and contrast enhancement were the commonest MRI presentations associated with the presence of IIA.

Systematic Review of Endovascular, Surgical, and Conservative Options for Infectious Intracranial Aneurysms and Cardiac Considerations.

INTRODUCTION: With rising rates of intravenous drug use, Infectious Intracranial aneurysms (IIAs) are a relevant topic for investigation. We performed a systematic review to better understand current practice patterns and limits of current published literature. METHOD: 131 publications with a total of 499 patients (665 aneurysms) were included. Of the 499 patients, 83 were single case reports, and 20.5% of the total had multiple aneurysms. 35.8% of all aneurysms were ruptured. Of those reporting treatment, options included conservative antibiotic therapy (30.0%), open surgical intervention (31.1%), and endovascular occlusion (31.8%). Chronologically, publication of IIAs has increased. Usage of endovascular therapies has grown, while conservative and surgical management have declined in the literature. Overall, 56.2% of aneurysms for which conservative therapy was initiated eventually either underwent intervention or death of patient occurred. RESULTS: The issue of cardiac valve surgery in relationship to aneurysm therapy was discussed in 20.8% (80 patients) of all 384 infectious endocarditis patients; of which 15.0% (12) underwent valve surgery before aneurysm treatment and 85.0 patients (68)% underwent valve surgery after aneurysm treatment. For 51 of the patients where valve surgery followed aneurysm management, the corresponding aneurysm treatment modality could be determined; 58.8% (30) of whom were managed endovascularly. 32.7% (26) of all cases reporting cardiac surgery details underwent cardiac surgery during their admission with the IIA. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, increasing trend of endovascular management of IIAs is evident, and a strong temporal preference exhibited by providers to perform cardiac surgery subsequently to IIA management.