title: Profuse mediastinal hemorrhage due to mediastinitis after a sternal infection.
abstract: A 79-year-old female patient was admitted because of profuse bleeding from a skin defect in the anterior chest due to a deep sternal wound infection. Eighteen years earlier, she had undergone irradiation to treat a sternal metastasis from breast cancer. Computed tomography (CT) showed the extravasation of iodinated contrast material from the ascending aorta. The patient underwent an immediate thoracotomy and recovered. This report presents a very rare case of massive bleeding from the thoracic aorta due to a mediastinal infection after irradiation for sternal metastasis from breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamiyoshihara
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ibe
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Igai
authors.forename: Natsuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawatani
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Kimihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takeyoshi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D001027:Aortography / Q000379:methods; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D013249:Sternum / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy