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.

Obstructing Granuloma in Main Pulmonary Trunk.

A patient with main pulmonary artery mass may have severe symptoms and warrants urgent surgical management, whereas in a stable patient with a diagnosis amenable to medical treatment, medical management should be started while monitoring the size of the lesion. We report a case in which the patient experienced severe right heart dysfunction due to obstruction of the main pulmonary artery, diagnosed as a probable thrombus, and the patient was taken for urgent surgical excision, later diagnosed as tuberculoma on histopathologic examination.

Treatment of tuberculous aortic pseudoaneurysm associated with vertebral tuberculosis: A case series and a literature review.

RATIONALE: Tuberculous aortic pseudoaneurysm associated with vertebral tuberculosis is a rare disease but with very high mortality. We review the literature and find 19 reports with 22 patients. Here we report three cases with vertebral tuberculosis, who also have tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the aorta. These patients were treated by different methods. We try to analyze the epidemiology, pathogenesis, presentation, and management of this disease to find the best treatment. PATIENT CONCERNS: The patients presented with different symptoms such as pain (chest, abdominal or back), fever, blood volume reduction or hemorrhagic shock symptoms. Large mass also could be observed by imaging. In addition to clinical manifestations, enhanced computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging could also help the diagnosis of this disease. DIAGNOSES: Tuberculous aortic pseudoaneurysm associated with vertebral tuberculosis. INTERVENTIONS: Three patients were treated with anti-tuberculosis(TB) drugs or combined with different sequences surgical treatment: Case 1 refused to receive pseudoaneurysm surgery and only had anti-TB drug treatment; Case 2 received thoracic spinal surgery first; Case 3 received endovascular stent grafting. OUTCOMES: Two patients (case 1 and case 2) who refused to undergo aneurysm surgery died. The last patient (case 3) underwent endovascular repair and antibiotic therapy for tuberculosis, and the postoperative course was uneventful; the patient recovered and survived. LESSONS: Once the diagnosis of tuberculous pseudoaneurysm is confirmed, surgical treatment should be provided immediately combined with anti-tuberculosis drugs. The aim of the treatment is to save lives, prevent relapse, and facilitate the return to normal life, regardless of the size of the pseudoaneurysm. The pseudoaneurysm should be treated first to prevent aneurysm rupture before the vertebral tuberculosis surgery.

[Differential diagnosis of aortitis]. / Diagnostics différentiels des aortites inflammatoires.

Aortitis are mainly described in inflammatory disorders such as Takayasu arteritis, giant cell arteritis or Behçet's disease. Aortitis is sometimes qualified as idiopathic. However, differential diagnoses must be searched since they need specific interventions. Infectious aortitis should be ruled out first as its rapid evolution and short-term poor prognosis makes it a therapeutic emergency. Furthermore, rarer differential diagnoses should be known as they require specific care that might sometimes differ from the treatment of inflammatory aortitis, such as retroperitoneal fibrosis mostly idiopathic but also secondary to neoplasia or malignant hemopathies. IgG4 related disease, Erdheim-Chester disease and inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm due to atherosclerosis are other differential diagnoses to mention in the presence of aortitis in order to adapt patients' care consequently.

A 1-Year-Old with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Endocarditis with Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Cardiac Vegetation Composition.

In this study, we report the first case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis endocarditis in an immunocompetent child born in the United States. Mass spectrometry of the vegetation identified coagulation, humoral immune proteins, neutrophil granule proteins, and histones. Few neutrophils on histopathology suggest that neutrophil extracellular traps may contribute to tuberculous endocardiac mass formation.

[The aneurysms of the aorta of tuberculous]. / Les anévrysmes de l'aorte d'origine tuberculeuse. À propos de trois cas.

Tuberculosis is a public health problem in Morocco, which is difficult to eradicate despite the recognized efficiency of health policies. Aortic aneurysm is rare and lethal complication of spontaneous evolution. Pathophysiological characteristics and the difficulty of early diagnosis worsen the prognosis.

Takayasu's or tuberculous arteritis?

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a large vessel vasculitis of unknown aetiology characterised by involvement of the aorta and its major branches. Tuberculous arteritis of the aorta is an uncommon condition usually secondary to the dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection from the mediastinum and/or lung to the adjacent aorta; this may mimic TA. We report a case of a 23-year-old woman with cutaneous granulomatous vasculitis and saccular aneurysmal dilation of the aorta and large vessels, and highlight the findings shared by TA and tuberculous arteritis.

A rare but potentially lethal case of tuberculous aortic aneurysm presenting with repeated attacks of abdominal pain.

Tuberculous aortic aneurysm is an extremely rare disease with a high mortality rate. The clinical features of this condition are highly variable, ranging from asymptomatic with or without constitutional symptoms, abdominal pain to frank rupture, bleeding and shock. We herein report the case of a 56-year-old man with a large tuberculous mycotic aneurysm in the abdominal aorta with an initial presentation of repeated attacks of abdominal pain lasting for several months. Due to the vague nature of the initial symptoms, tuberculous aortic aneurysms may take several months to diagnose. This case highlights the importance of having a high index of suspicion and providing timely surgery for this rare but potentially lethal disease.

Refractory ascites as the only presenting symptom of chronic calcified constrictive pericarditis: a diagnostic challenge.

Extracardiac manifestations of constrictive pericarditis, such as massive ascites and liver cirrhosis, often cover the true situation and lead to a delayed diagnosis. A young female patient was referred to this hospital due to a 4-year history of refractory ascites as the only presenting symptom. A diagnosis of chronic calcified constrictive pericarditis was eventually established based on echocardiography, ultrasonography, and computed tomography. Cardiac catheterization was not performed. Pericardiectomy led to relief of her ascites. Refractory ascites warrants thorough investigation for constrictive pericarditis.

Granulomatous tubercular myocarditis: a rare cause of heart failure in the young.

Granulomatous myocarditis is a rare disease of the heart. The present case highlights a potentially life-threatening and rare tubercular involvement of the myocardium in a young woman in the form of granulomas and abscess.

Large pericardial effusion :a clinical dilemma!

A 55yr old gentleman known diabetic and hypertensive presented with breathlessness and tingling sensation of both upper and lower limbs with strong family history of similar neurological problems. On extensive evaluation he was found to have amyloidic peripheral neuropathy with large pericardial effusion. Tubercular etiology was confirmed by pericardial fluid PCR and culture. Here the diagnostic dilemma was whether Amloidosis is primary, secondary to Tubercular pericardial effusion or Hereditary Amyloidosis. In the end, how we have arrived at the diagnosis of Hereditary Amyloidosis based upon the strong family history and nerve biopsy is interestingly presented in the following case report.

Endovascular stent graft placement in the treatment of a ruptured tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta secondary to Pott's disease of the spine.

Ruptured thoracic aortic tuberculous pseudoaneurysms as a complication of mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of the spine are rare. Conventional treatment of a ruptured tuberculous pseudoaneurysm involves surgery with graft interposition or patch repair. We report successful repair of a ruptured tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta by endovascular stent graft placement and provide a literature review of such entities.

An unusual combination of a tuberculous aneurysm of the thoracic aorta and a degenerative aneurysm of the infrarenal abdominal aorta.

Tuberculous aneurysms of the aorta are rare and give rise to various issues related to their diagnosis and treatment. In this article, we report on an exceptional case concerning a patient who presented with a false tuberculous aneurysm of the thoracic aorta and a degenerative aneurysm of the infrarenal abdominal aorta concomitantly. A discussion on how we approached the diagnosis and devised a therapeutic strategy that allowed us to treat this dual aortic disease effectively has also been provided. The discussion includes details of the order of treatment and the choice between an endovascular and a surgical approach.

Preliminary investigation of the clinical value of vascular endothelial growth factor and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha in pericardial fluid in diagnosing malignant and tuberculous pericardial effusion.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical value of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) in diagnosing malignant and tuberculous pericardial effusion. METHODS: Eighty patients with exudative pericardial effusion undergoing pericardiocentesis and drainage were divided into 2 groups, namely those with malignancy and those with tuberculosis. The levels of HIF-1alpha, VEGF, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and adenosine deaminase (ADA) in pericardial fluid and serum were measured. Routine and cytological examination of pericardial fluid, clinical characteristics and some blood parameters were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: There were 33 patients with tuberculous pericardial effusion and 47 with malignant pericardial effusion. The levels of VEGF and HIF-1alpha in pericardial fluid in the malignancy group were significantly higher than those in the tuberculosis group (p < 0.01), and there was a moderate positive correlation between the levels of VEGF and HIF-1alpha (r = 0.79, p < 0.01). The sensitivity and specificity of combining VEGF and HIF-1alpha were 90.8 and 88.3%, respectively. The 2 groups showed no differences with regard to gender distribution, occurrence of fever, erythrocyte sedimentation rate or the levels of hemoglobin, LDH, ADA, serum HIF-1alpha and VEGF. CONCLUSIONS: Both VEGF and HIF-1alpha in pericardial fluid have determinative value in the differential diagnosis of malignant and tuberculous pericardial effusion.

Tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta.

Tuberculous mycotic aortic aneurysm is a rare disease with a high mortality rate.(1-5) Its prevalent location is the descending thoracic aorta in the patient with disseminated tuberculosis. Most of these aneurysms have been of the pseudoaneurysm type. We report the case of a 37-year-old woman with tuberculous pseudoaneurym of the descending aorta that was initially mistaken for a lung lesion and was successfully repaired surgically.

Tuberculosis of the renal artery: a rare cause of renovascular arterial hypertension.

Tuberculosis is an endemic disease in Morocco. Main blood vessels are rarely affected; the few mentioned cases are aneurysmal. We report a 17-year-old patient presenting with renovascular arterial hypertension, revealed thanks to the discovery of an occlusion of the right renal artery in Duplex scan. During the intervention, the observation of pararenal and mesenteric tuberculous polyadenopathy let us suggest the same kind of lesion at the level of the occluded renal artery. Once antituberculosis treatment had been carried out, the right renal artery was revascularized with a right iliorenal bypass using reversed internal saphenous vein. The postoperative course was uneventful, with an 18-month follow-up. Arterial pressure was normal without antihypertensive treatment, and the bypass was patent. As far as we know, this is the first case of renovascular arterial hypertension resulting from tuberculosis treated with an iliorenal bypass.

Tuberculous mycotic aneurysm of aortic root: an unusual cause of cardiac tamponade.

We describe a young male who presented to the emergency room with sudden onset dyspnea, and was found to have aortic root aneurysm with aortic regurgitation and cardiac tamponade. He underwent a Bentall procedure, and excised aortic root tissue showed epithelioid cell granulomas with panaortitis. He was started on anti-tubercular therapy, with which he improved. Although tubercular aortitis is fairly common, tuberculous mycotic aneurysm of the aorta is rare, with involvement of the aortic root being exceedingly uncommon. We report only the fifth case in English literature of tuberculous mycotic aneurysm of the aortic root.

Sudden death in tuberculous myocarditis.

Tuberculous myocarditis is one of the rare causes of sudden death. We report a case of 65-year-old female who came with diabetic foot and died suddenly after 2 days of hospital stay. On autopsy, she was found to have tuberculous myocarditis with granulomatous inflammation only in the liver and without pulmonary or mediastinal lymph node involvement. These findings are very unusual in tuberculous myocarditis.