Endovascular treatment of Brucella-infected abdominal aortic aneurysm: A case report

RATIONALE: In very rare cases, a primary infected abdominal aortic aneurysm (IAAA) is caused by a species of Brucella. In this report, we report such a case that was successfully treated with a novel approach. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first case occurring in China, in which an infection of the abdominal aortic aneurysm was caused by a Brucella species. PATIENT CONCERNS: The clinical findings included high fever, fatigue, and abdominal pain. DIAGNOSES: The diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography angiography and by bacteriologic isolation from the patient's blood culture. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was given endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and Brucella-sensitive antibiotics for 6 weeks. OUTCOMES: During the 10-month follow-up, the patient's clinical course remained uneventful. LESSONS: Our case study supports the premise that endovascular aneurysm repair is an appropriate alternative strategy to treat an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm. Compared with conventional surgical treatment, EVAR with long-term oral antibiotics is a simpler, less traumatic, and more efficient procedure. However, this needs to be further evaluated through long-term follow-up.