title: Cryptococcal aortitis presenting as a symptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm.
abstract: We report a case of cryptococcal aortitis in a 59-year-old man presenting as a symptomatic suprarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The patient underwent repair of his aneurysm using a rifampin-soaked graft with omental wrapping. Intraoperative Gram stains showed yeast organisms, the cultures eventually grew Cryptococcus neoformans with results available 43 days postoperatively. He was started on antifungal therapy intraoperatively and will be on lifelong antifungal treatment. Our case is the first report of cryptoccocal aortitis presenting as a symptomatic AAA; the diagnosis of a true mycotic aneurysm was made intraoperatively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Electronic address: drkay1981@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karam
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Yale University, New Haven, Conneticut.
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsiouris
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Georgia Regents Medical Center, Augusta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shepard
mesh_terms: D000785:Aneurysm, Infected / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D001025:Aortitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged