Clostridium septicum aortitis with associated sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma.
We report an unusual case of Clostridium septicum aortitis with associated adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon. An 87-year-old man with multiple medical comorbidities presented with a 1-week history of severe abdominal pain in the left lower quadrant of his abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography showed, in addition to a mass in the sigmoid colon, a gas density within the wall of the abdominal aorta with extensive periaortic fat stranding and some additional gas densities in the proximal left common iliac artery. The patient refused surgery, and was treated with intravenous antibiotics. He died 5 weeks later. The development of Clostridiumsepticum aortitis, an extremely rare but life-threatening infection, is highly associated with an underlying colonic malignancy and demands immediate surgical intervention.
Department of Medicine, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90309, USA.
Phillip S
PS
Ge
Christian
C
de Virgilio
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000150:complications*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001025:Aortitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D052557:Clostridium septicum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012811:Sigmoid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents