Endovascular salvage of tubercular aortitis presenting as descending thoracic aortic pseudoaneurysm in association with vertebral tuberculosis

A gentleman in his late 30s presented with a history of evening rise of temperature and generalised malaise of 1-week duration. He had associated upper back pain with tingling and numbness of both lower limbs. An unexplained episode of hypotension with hemoptysis propelled a computed tomography (CT) examination of chest which was suggestive of a pseudoaneurysm of the posterior wall of descending thoracic aorta in the vicinity of the Pott's spine with a prevertebral and paravertebral abscess, for which he was referred to vascular surgeons.Tubercular involvement of vasculature is a rare disease, aortic involvement even rarer. Less than 50 cases of vertebral tuberculosis with tubercular thoracic aortic aneurysm have been reported in the medical literature, but the disease carries a colossal mortality and morbidity.After a multidisciplinary teamwork, thoracic endovascular aortic repair was done for exclusion of the aneurysmal segment, with simultaneous antitubercular and broad-spectrum antibiotic chemotherapy. The patient recuperated well.

Infectious Myocarditis on FDG-PET Imaging Mimicking Sarcoidosis

Cardiac positron emission tomography with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) is often used for the diagnosis of cardiac involvement in sarcoidosis. Areas of segmental perfusion defects coupled with FDG uptake are considered to represent active inflammation. However, these findings may be associated with other inflammatory myocardial diseases. We describe a case of tuberculous myocarditis with imaging findings mimicking those found in cardiac sarcoidosis.

Likely tuberculous myocarditis mimicking an acute coronary syndrome

Acute systemic infections may involve the heart, mostly represented by myocarditis and pericarditis. We report the case of a likely myopericarditis in an adult, leading to the diagnosis of tuberculosis infection. The clinical presentation was an acute coronary syndrome with elevated troponin Ic. An alternative diagnosis of myopericarditis was considered. Chest X-ray depicted a miliary pattern and a CT-scan demonstrated bilateral micronodules with a "tree-in-bud" pattern associated with parenchymal consolidations in the apical segment of the left upper lobe, suggesting infectious bronchiolitis. As the direct microscopic examination of the bronchial expectoration revealed the presence of Koch's bacterium, a diagnosis of a tuberculous myocarditis was likely. The clinical, electrocardiographic and CT-scan findings are shown; cardiac effects associated with tuberculosis are discussed.

Endovascular treatment of a tuberculous infected aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta: A word of caution

An infected aneurysm of the thoracic aorta due to mycobacterium tuberculosis is an unusual entity for which the classical treatment is antituberculosis chemotherapy and open-chest surgery. Recent improvements in endovascular treatments have led to their proposed use for infected aneurysms in patients for whom open surgery poses too high a risk. We report on a 68-year-old man with a tuberculous aortic aneurysm who had been treated with an endoprosthesis and antituberculosis chemotherapy. His clinical and radiological follow-up was uneventful and led to the discontinuation of pharmacological treatment after 16 months. However, a recurrence of the infection led to a fatal aortic rupture 4 months after discontinuation of therapy.

Endovascular stent graft treatment of leaking thoracic aortic tuberculous pseudoaneurysm

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is one of the leading causes of death from communicable diseases worldwide. However, the incidence of leaking thoracic aortic tuberculous pseudoaneurysms is rare as a complication. Conventional treatment of a leaking tuberculous pseudoaneurysm involves surgery with graft interposition or patch repair. With the emergence of stent graft treatment as a viable option for leaking pseudoaneurysms, we report a 63-year-old man who had his leaking toracic aortic tuberculous pseudoaneurysm treated with endovascular stent grafting.

Recurrent tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta--a case report

Tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the aorta is a rare disease that is uniformly fatal if not treated properly. The authors present a case of a recurrent tuberculous false aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta that was treated surgically with excision and primary repair of the lesion. To their knowledge, this is the first reported case of recurrent disease after a successful surgical treatment.

Localisation myocardique de la tuberculose

INTRODUCTION

Tuberculosis can be responsible for myocardial damage, the frequency of which is probably underestimated because of the difficulty in its diagnosis. We studied the contribution of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in three patients.

OBSERVATIONS

Three patients were treated for disseminated tuberculosis. They had moderate cardiac abnormalities (tachycardia, dyspnoea on effort). The electrocardiogram was normal in 2 patients and the echocardiography showed localized hyperkinesias. Cardiac MRI revealed intra-myocardial nodular gadolinium enhancement and hyperkinesias. The clinical outcome in the 3 patients was favourable following anti-tuberculosis therapy; one patient was also administered corticosteroids.

DISCUSSION

Cardiac MRI is a non-invasive examination that brought important arguments for the diagnosis of tubercular myocarditis in the 3 patients.

Tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the celiac artery. A case report

We report a case of tuberculous pseudoaneurysm in the neck of the celiac artery involving the aorta. Recurrence of the aneurysm occurred after attempted direct repair. Therefore redo-surgery was performed, which involved resection of aneurysm and removal of the infected tissue with bilateral axillofemoral bypass.

Cardiac tuberculosis with multiple intracardiac masses: a case report

In this report, clinical, echocardiographic, and pathologic findings of a patient with multiple masses caused by tuberculosis both in the left and right side of the heart are presented. After antituberculosis treatment some of the masses disappeared and some became smaller. Although an intracardiac mass caused by tuberculosis is very rare, it should be considered in the list of masses detected by echocardiography.

CT and MR findings in a calcified myocardial tuberculoma of the left ventricle

Tuberculosis can involve a multitude of organ tissues but generally affects the respiratory tract. Heart tuberculosis is rare, and the pericardium is the most common location reported in the literature, accounting for 0.5% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Isolated myocardial tuberculosis is a very unusual occurrence, with only a few case reports in the literature, usually diagnosed at necropsy. Findings of myocardial tuberculoma on cross-sectional images previously have not been reported. We present computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings of an isolated calcified myocardial tuberculoma.

Tuberculous aneurysm of the abdominal aorta: endovascular repair using stent grafts in two cases

Tuberculous aneurysm of the aorta is exceedingly rare. To date, the standard therapy for mycotic aneurysm of the abdominal aorta has been surgery involving in-situ graft placement or extra-anatomic bypass surgery followed by effective anti-tuberculous medication. Only recently has the use of a stent graft in the treatment of tuberculous aortic aneurysm been described in the literature. We report two cases in which a tuberculous aneurysm of the abdominal aorta was successfully repaired using endovascular stent grafts. One case involved is a 42-year-old woman with a large suprarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and a right psoas abscess, and the other, a 41-year-old man in whom an abdominal aortic aneurysm ruptured during surgical drainage of a psoas abscess.

[Isolated tuberculosis of the heart: a clinical and echocardiography follow-up]

A case of isolated right ventricular myocardial tuberculoma with pericardial effusion is presented. The diagnosis of myocardial tuberculoma was initially suggested by echocardiography and later by magnetic resonance imaging. The diagnosis of cardiac tuberculosis was confirmed by demonstration of tubercle bacilli in the pericardial fluid. This is a very rare condition which is usually diagnosed only by necropsy. Myocardial tuberculoma should figure on the list of intraparietal masses visualized at echocardiography.

Tuberculous aneurysm of the femoral artery: a complication of bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine immunotherapy--a case report

A case of bilateral femoral mycotic aneurysms resulting from bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine, is reported in a 74-year-old man treated by intravesical immunotherapy. The diagnosis was made after histologic and bacteriologic examinations and biochemical analysis of the acid-fast-baccilli. Treatment consisted of resection and replacement of the femoral arteries, with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene graft on the left side and a saphenous vein graft on the right side. After surgery the patient was treated with antituberculous chemotherapy for 1 year. The patient was doing well 18 months later.

Synchronous mycotic aneurysms secondary to tuberculosis

Mycotic aneurysm secondary to Mycobacterium tuberculosis is extremely unusual. We describe a 28-year-old female patient with tuberculosis who developed synchronous mycotic aneurysms of the abdominal aorta and the innominate artery. The pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of tuberculous mycotic aneurysm is reviewed.

[Tuberculous pericarditis]

A case of specific tuberculous pericarditis is described. A short clinical and etiological classification of pericarditis is given. There are so many new forms of pericarditis today, like autoimmune, postirradiation, drug induced, etc. Specific tuberculous pericarditis is rarely registered today. One must intend to specify TB pericarditis almost if pericardial effusion is present. Pericardial punction is of much help in the diagnosis and treatment of pericardial effusion. Steroid therapy is very important in prevention of forming pericardial adhesions.

Multiple pseudoaneurysms in a tuberculous patient

I have presented the case of a 20-year-old woman with tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the innominate artery associated with another pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal aorta. I believe this is the first report of such a case in the literature.

Ga-67 cardiac uptake

A case of positive Ga-67 image due to tuberculous pericarditis is presented. The pattern and distribution of the uptake suggested that the concentration of the activity was mainly in the inflamed pericardium. The known causes of Ga-67 cardiac uptake were reviewed, and a differential diagnosis is given.

Gallium-67 imaging in pericarditis secondary to tuberculosis and histoplasmosis

In recent years, many cases of Ga-67 uptake by the heart have been reported. One such case involved a patient with tuberculous pericarditis. Recently, a patient was referred to us for the investigation of a fever of unknown origin. A Ga-67 scan was performed and showed an intense uptake by the pericardium. The final diagnosis was pericarditis secondary to mediastinal lymph node involvement with tuberculosis and histoplasmosis.

Tuberculous aortoarteritis

Tuberculous aortoarteritis is a distinct entity. Despite the still wide prevalence of active tuberculosis in developing countries, tuberculous aortoarteritis appears to be rare. The vessel is often involved by a direct extension of the disease from adjacent tuberculous tissue. Occasionally it may result from blood-borne seedlings from an active distant focus. True and false aneurysms are the common manifestations. Stenosing and/or constricting types of lesions and perivascular fibrosis have been encountered by us. The probable pathogenesis is discussed with illustrative cases.

Pericardial tuberculoma. An unusual cause of mediastinal mass

Pericardial tuberculoma can appear as a solitary mediastinal mass along the left-heart border. The authors discuss two cases and cite three additional cases to demonstrate that, although rare, pericardial tuberculoma merits consideration in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses, particularly in patients with histories of tuberculosis.

Tuberculous aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta: report of a case with fatal rupture

Tuberculous aortic aneurysm is a rare disease entity. The majority of affected patients succumb to perforation and exsanguination. The only chance for survival and cure is by resection and prolonged antituberculosis chemotherapy. Our case illustrates the high risk of rupture of tuberculous aortic aneurysms. Post-mortem examination revealed that the mechanism of aneurysm formation was by direct caseous involvement of the descending thoracic aorta from a juxtaposed left upper lobe parenchymal tuberculous process. Our findings also favor the concept that miliary dissemination (in the presence of tuberculous aortic aneurysm) is the result rather than the cause of the tuberculous aortic process.

Computerized tomographic diagnosis of aneurysms of the thoracic aorta

Accurate diagnosis of aneurysms of the thoracic aorta and its major branches can easily be performed by CT scanning of the mediastinum. The use of contrast enhancement aids in the diagnosis and allows distinction between flowing and clotted blood within the aneurysm. CT scanning of these lesions seen on chest radiographs may obviate the need for arteriography for diagnosis.

Pericardial calcification in childhood

Calcific constrictive pericarditis (CCP) in a three-year-old child with symptoms of cardiac compression was confirmed by cardiac catheterization and angiography. Histologic examination of the pericardial tissue removed at operation revealed a tuberculous etiology. Though unusual in the pediatric age group, constrictive pericarditis (CP) may occur in children, most often as a complication of tuberculosis. Pericardial calcification may also develop in children with CP, though this too is rare. The diagnosis of CCP can be established by cardiac catheterization and angiography. Pericardiectomy is the definitive treatment.

[Inflammatory cerebro-vascular disease: angiographic findings and distribution patterns (author's transl)]

Although cerebral angiography should be approached with caution in the diagnosis of inflammatory cerebro-vascular disease there are some characteristic angiographic findings which may be helpful for classification and differential diagnosis. The proximal cerebral arteries are favourably affected by basal meningitis and thrombangiitis obliterans with resulting stenoses and occlusions. Whereas those inflammations originating from neighbouring skull structures mostly involve the intracavernous parts of the carotid artery, the tuberculous and mycotic arteritis prefer the supraclinoid carotid siphon. Peripheral vascular changes are found in luetic endangiitis, necrotizing and toxic angiitis and in collagenoses. Simultaneous involvement of the temporal arteries is of great diagnostic importance demonstrating the systemic character of the inflammatory process; in Horton's arteritis it can be a pathognomonic finding. Infectious endocarditis, some mycoses and malaria may lead to embolic occlusion of cerebral vessels. Mycotic aneurysms mostly have a broad base or a fusiform shape and do not prefer the localizations of congenital aneurysms. Angiographically, abscesses, tuberculomas and viral encephalitis may result in circumscribed hypervascularized areas. The characteristic angiographic findings are exemplified and discussed on the basis of 8 cases of inflammatory cerebro-vascular disease (tuberculosis, pneumococcal and unspecific bacterial meningitis, syphilis, mycosis, Takayasu-syndrome, panarteritis nodosa, temporal arteritis).