A patient with fever and an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
A 55-year-old man with an abdominal aortic aneurysm presented with fever and abdominal pain 3 weeks after an episode of Salmonella gastroenteritis. His symptoms persisted despite antimicrobial therapy. Two abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans showed no evidence of aortitis. His abdominal pain worsened and further investigation including a third CT scan demonstrated a leaking aortic aneurysm. The wall of the aorta was shown to contain Gram-negative bacilli. This case illustrates the difficulty in diagnosing bacterial aortitis.
Barlow
G D
GD
Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
Green
S T
ST
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000382:microbiology*; D001025:Aortitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005335:Fever of Unknown Origin / Q000209:etiology*; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed