title: Mycotic thoracic aortic aneurysm: review of the diagnostic and therapeutic options.
abstract: Along with greater life-expectancy, the prevalence of aortic aneurysm and its infected complicated variant increases. We present the case of a mycotic aortic aneurysm. Mycotic aneurysms represent only between 0.7% and 2.6% of all aortic aneurysms. It is a highly lethal variant of the classical aortic aneurysm in which death supervenes in all cases that are left untreated. Up to 60% of mycotic aortic aneurysms may present as ruptured. Time from admission to diagnosis of mycotic thoracic aortic aneurysm ranges from 1 to 4 days and the time from diagnosis to the necessity of surgery 1 to 11 days. Adequate knowledge about the diagnostic and therapeutic options is mandatory improve survival and will be reviewed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Heilig Hart hospital, Roeselare, Belgium. lucassteverlynck@hotmail.com
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Steverlynck
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van de Walle
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000785:Aneurysm, Infected / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents