Aortitis Associated with Prophylactic Short-acting Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor Administration: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

We herein report an 83-year-old woman with filgrastim-associated aortitis during chemotherapy for relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. She had been treated with filgrastim as a prophylaxis for neutropenia during the fourth cycle of chemotherapy from day 9 to 18. On day 21, she developed a fever. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed aortitis of the descending aorta. The fever abated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment. A literature review identified a small number of aortitis cases all caused by prophylactic use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs), among which short-acting filgrastim was rarely encountered. The present and previous findings imply a possible relationship between aortitis and prophylactic G-CSF usage.

Brucella aortitis managed with debridement, extra-anatomical bypass, and long-term antimicrobial therapy.

OBJECTIVES: This report aims to review the management and outcomes of Brucella-associated mycotic aortic aneurysms. METHODS: This is a retrospective chart review at a tertiary-level healthcare system. IRB approval was waived per policy. RESULTS: We describe a case of Brucella aortitis acquired from habitual contact with wild hogs. Clinical presentation included lower back pain and elevated white blood cell count. Diagnosis was confirmed with imaging showing an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and serology revealing elevated Brucella antibodies titers. The patient was initially managed with endovascular aortic repair and combined oral and intravenous antibiotics therapy. He then underwent explanation and extra-anatomical bypass due to symptomatic periaortic infection and interval development of type I endoleak. The patient was asymptomatic after his final operation at 24 months of follow-up and remained on suppressive oral antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: An aortic aneurysm secondary to Brucella is a rare entity. A detailed history of long-term exposure to animals may be a clue to obtain serologic testing. Operative debridement and re-establishing of reliable blood flow combined with long-term antibiotic suppression are the mainstay of treatment.

Preventive effect of beta-blockers in the development of aortic dilation in giant cell arteritis-related aortitis.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze whether beta-blockers (BBs), in addition to conventional care, can decrease the risk of aortic dilation in giant-cell arteritis (GCA)-related aortitis. METHODS: We conducted in a single medical center retrospective study including 65 consecutive patients with GCA-related aortitis who all underwent aortic morphology control during follow-up. The impact of previous cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and/or events on BB prescription and on the risk for new aortic dilation was analyzed using a weighted (8-point maximum) score between 0 (i.e., 0/8 CV risk factors and events) and 1 (i.e., 8/8). RESULTS: Among the 65 patients with GCA-related aortitis, 15 (23%) were taking BBs before GCA diagnosis and continued them thereafter. The vascular score was significantly higher in patients who received BBs (0.25 [0.125-0.625] vs. 0.125 [0-0.625] in patients without BBs, p < 0.0001). The median follow-up was 91 [25-163] months in GCA patients taking BBs and 61 [14-248] months in patients not taking BBs (p = 0.13). None of the patients taking BBs developed a new aortic dilation, whereas 15 (15/50; 30%) patients not taking BBs did (p = 0.01), as detected at a median time of 38 [6-120] months after the first imaging. Rates of other CV events during follow-up did not differ between the groups (p = 1). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to suggest that BBs in addition to conventional care in patients with GCA-related aortitis may help to prevent the risk of aortic dilation during follow-up. Larger-sized studies are required to confirm these results.

Single-Center Analysis of Pegfilgrastim-induced Aortitis Using a Drug Prescription Database and CT Findings.

Background Pegfilgrastim-induced aortitis is a rare but serious adverse event in patients undergoing anticancer therapy with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor analogs. Despite previous case series and systemic reviews, the exact incidence, clinical presentation, and CT manifestations of pegfilgrastim-induced aortitis remain unclear. Purpose To clarify the incidence and clinicoradiologic characteristics of pegfilgrastim-induced aortitis. Materials and Methods Pegfilgrastim administration records from January 2015 to March 2021 were retrospectively collected from the drug prescription database of a single center and were matched with the relevant findings in the CT database. Corresponding CT images within 6 months were available for a total of 1462 doses of pegfilgrastim in 674 patients. Four radiologists reviewed the CT images for the presence of aortitis in two steps. Clinical information and the distribution of aortitis on CT images were examined for patients with a diagnosis of pegfilgrastim-induced aortitis. Results Pegfilgrastim-induced aortitis was observed in 18 of 674 patients (mean age, 62 years ± 13 [SD]; 424 men), resulting in incidence rates of 2.7% per patient (95% CI: 1.6, 4.2) and 1.2% per dose (95% CI: 0.7, 1.9). The most common original primary malignancies were esophageal cancer (n = 10, 9%), breast cancer (n = 3, 4%), and pancreatic cancer (n = 2, 2%). The most common anticancer drugs used at onset were 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, and docetaxel. Seven cases were symptomatic, while the remaining 11 (61%) were asymptomatic. CT findings indicated that aortitis involved branches of the aortic arch in 13 cases (72%), aortic arch in 10 cases (56%), and abdominal aorta in two cases (11%). Conclusion Pegfilgrastim-induced aortitis may be more prevalent than previously reported and may be more common in patients with esophageal cancer and those who received 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, and docetaxel as anticancer drugs. The findings also suggest that pegfilgrastim-induced aortitis is often characterized by aortic arch and proximal branch involvement at CT. © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Krinsky in this issue.

Infectious aortitis from pyogenic spondylitis and psoas abscess: Case report.

Infectious aortitis has various causes, presents mainly with an aneurysm, and is fatal without surgical intervention. This case report describes an 89-year-old woman who developed fever and back pain which initially diagnosed infectious aortitis confirmed through contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). Pyogenic spondylitis and psoas abscess, which were not visible through CT at admis-sion, were identified as the cause of infectious aortitis confirmed through positron emission tomography (PET). After percutaneous drainage and intravenous antibiotics, the patient was discharged in good condition and without surgical intervention. This case report emphasizes the critical role of PET in identifying the cause of infectious aortitis and demonstrates the effectiveness of successive treat-ment with antibiotics and timely radiologic intervention.

Recent advances in the diagnosis and therapy of large vessel vasculitis.

Large vessel vasculitis (LVV), including Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and giant cell arteritis (GCA), causes granulomatous vascular inflammation mainly in large vessels, and is the most common primary vasculitis in adults. Vascular inflammation may evoke many clinical features including vision impairment, stroke, limb ischemia, and aortic aneurysms. The best way to diagnose LVV is to combine medical history, physical examination, various laboratory tests, and imaging modalities. Progress in imaging modalities facilitated early diagnosis and follow­up of the disease activity. Conventional angiography is no longer the gold standard for the diagnosis of TAK. Similarly, temporal artery biopsy is no longer the only tool for diagnosing cranial GCA. In selected cases, color Doppler ultrasound may be used for this purpose. Despite some similarities, TAK and GCA differ in many aspects and they are different diseases. They also have different clinical subtypes. The presence of aortitis does not always implicate the diagnosis of TAK or GCA; infectious aortitis, as well as noninfectious aortitis associated with other autoimmune rheumatic diseases should be excluded. Treatment of LVV includes glucocorticoids (GCs), conventional immunosuppressive agents, and biological drugs. Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors are ineffective in GCA but effective in TAK. On the other hand, tocilizumab may be used to treat both diseases. Promising targeted therapies evaluated in ongoing clinical trials include, for example, anti­IL­12/23 (ustekinumab), anti­IL­17 (secukinumab), anti­IL­1 (anakinra), anti­IL­23 (guselkumab), anti­cytotoxic T­lymphocyte antigen 4 (abatacept), Janus kinase inhibitors (tofacitinib and upadacitinib), anti­granulocyte / macrophage colony­stimulating factor (mavrilimumab), and endothelin receptor (bosentan) therapies.

[A Case of Aortitis Caused by Pegfilgrastim Use during Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Treating Breast Cancer].

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF)is useful for preventing febrile neutropenia induced by chemotherapy. Recently, some cases of aortitis have been reported following administration of G-CSF. Here, we present a case of aortitis induced by pegfilgrastim(peg-G)use during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for treating breast cancer. A 61-year-old woman with breast cancer(cT2N1M0, stage ⅡB, triple negative)started neoadjuvant chemotherapy FEC(100). Eleven days after the third course of peg-G administration, the patient developed a fever and general malaise. Blood test results showed an increase in inflammatory markers and severe anemia. The symptoms were not controlled with antibiotics. Blood and urine culture test results were negative. Computed tomography revealed remarkable wall thickening of the aorta. Therefore, we suspected aortitis induced by peg-G. The symptoms rapidly improved with prednisolone therapy. The possibility of aortitis should be considered for those with fever or raised inflammatory markers following the use of G-CSF. Steroids can be used for the treatment of G-CSF-induced aortitis.

Dapagliflozin Ameliorates the Formation and Progression of Experimental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms by Reducing Aortic Inflammation in Mice.

BACKGROUND: Dapagliflozin, a sodium glucose transporter protein-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor, reduces the risk for cardiovascular diseases. However, the influence of dapagliflozin on nondissecting abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) remains unclear. METHODS: AAAs were created in male C57BL/6 mice via intra-aortic porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) infusion. Mice were daily treated with dapagliflozin (1 or 5 mg/kg body weight) or an equal volume of vehicle through oral gavage beginning one day prior to PPE infusion for 14 days. To investigate its translational value, dapagliflozin or vehicle was also administered to mice with existing AAAs in another cohort. Aortic diameters were measured prior to (day 0 for baseline) and 14 days after PPE infusion. After sacrifice, mice aortae were collected, and following histological analyses were performed. RESULTS: Dapagliflozin treatment significantly reduced aneurysmal aortic expansion following PPE infusion as compared to vehicle treatment especially at 5 mg/kg body weight (approximately 21% and 33% decreases in 1 and 5 mg/kg treatment groups, respectively). The dose-dependent attenuation of AAAs by dapagliflozin was also confirmed on histological analyses. Dapagliflozin remarkably reduced aortic accumulation of macrophages, CD4+ T cells, and B cells particularly following dapagliflozin treatment at 5 mg/kg. Dapagliflozin treatment also markedly attenuated medial SMC loss. Though the difference was not significant, dapagliflozin treatment tended to attenuate CD8+ T cells and elastin degradation. Dapagliflozin treatment at 5 mg/kg caused a 53% reduction in neovessel density. Furthermore, dapagliflozin treatment mitigated further progress of existing AAAs. CONCLUSION: Dapagliflozin treatment ameliorated PPE-induced AAAs by inhibiting aortic leukocytes infiltration and angiogenesis.

Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)-induced aortitis in a patient undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is used to prevent febrile neutropenia post chemotherapy. Usually well tolerated with minimal side effects but aortitis is an extremely rare side effect previously reported. A 64-year-old woman treated with adjuvant chemotherapy including G-CSF for left breast cancer was admitted with fevers, neutropenia and markedly raised inflammatory markers after 7 days of her first cycle. Initially diagnosed with neutropenic sepsis, she did not respond to broad spectrum antibiotics with subsequent CT imaging revealing marked periaortic inflammatory changes consistent with aortitis and periaortitis. Extensive investigations for other causes of large vessel vasculitis were negative and G-CSF was the only causative factor. She rapidly responded to steroids with almost complete resolution of inflammatory changes on repeat imaging within 4 weeks and no recurrence on tapering of steroids. This diagnosis must be considered in patients presenting with fever and raised inflammatory markers post G-CSF treatment.

Tryptophan Catabolism and Inflammation: A Novel Therapeutic Target For Aortic Diseases.

Aortic diseases are the primary public health concern. As asymptomatic diseases, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and atherosclerosis are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The inflammatory process constitutes an essential part of a pathogenic cascade of aortic diseases, including atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysms. Inflammation on various vascular beds, including endothelium, smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration, and inflammatory cell infiltration (monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, etc.), play critical roles in the initiation and progression of aortic diseases. The tryptophan (Trp) metabolism or kynurenine pathway (KP) is the primary way of degrading Trp in most mammalian cells, disturbed by cytokines under various stress. KP generates several bioactive catabolites, such as kynurenine (Kyn), kynurenic acid (KA), 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK), etc. Depends on the cell types, these metabolites can elicit both hyper- and anti-inflammatory effects. Accumulating evidence obtained from various animal disease models indicates that KP contributes to the inflammatory process during the development of vascular disease, notably atherosclerosis and aneurysm development. This review outlines current insights into how perturbed Trp metabolism instigates aortic inflammation and aortic disease phenotypes. We also briefly highlight how targeting Trp metabolic pathways should be considered for treating aortic diseases.

Favorable Conservative Management of a Rare Primary Aortitis Secondary to Listeria Monocytogenes: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Primary aortitis (PA) secondary to Listeria monocytogenes is extremely rare with only a few cases reported in the literature. Presently, there is no consensus concerning the best treatment when no complications are found in the thoracic computed tomography (CT) imaging. This report illustrates the clinical presentation and favorable clinical course of a rare case of PA secondary to Listeria monocytogenes in an 82-year-old diabetic woman, successfully treated with conservative management with 18 months of follow up. Included in this article, we additionally present a review of the literature of this uncommon etiology of infectious aortitis.

Clinically isolated descending thoracic aortitis in a healthy older woman: a diagnostic challenge.

A woman travelling to Australia in her early 70s presents to a regional emergency department with chest pain and associated shortness of breath. Her medical history was that of seasonal affective disorder treated with citalopram, and an allergy to ibuprofen. Subsequent CT imaging revealed aortic wall thickening and associated periaortic fluid, and a moderate pleural effusion. This was successfully treated with oral prednisolone, responding within 1 day. Further blood tests revealed a high CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio, which can be seen in autoimmune disease, sarcoidosis and haematological malignancies. Without evidence for other autoimmune processes, the patient was given a provisional diagnosis of descending thoracic aortitis secondary to sarcoidosis, prescribed a weaning regimen of prednisolone, and asked to seek further investigation and management in her home country. This is a case with several learning points; rare disease can cause common presentations/reports, and sometimes empirical therapy is the only therapy.