Total abdominal aortic occlusion: a complication of brucellosis

Abstract

Common and applicable diagnostic methods are available for brucellosis. However, its life-threatening complications remain critical. Herein we present a 68-year-old patient who complained of leg pain for two months. At admission he had absent pulse in the left femoral and bilateral popliteal arteries. Laboratory test results were leucocytes 8700/mm3, CRP 86 mg/L, and ESR 47 mm/h. Abdominal CT revealed images consistent with mural thrombus in the suprarenal segment of abdominal aorta, total occlusion and hypodense thrombus material completely filling the aortic lumen through infrarenal segment extending to lumens of the caudal, bilateral common and superior iliac arteries (Figs. 1–3). No paleness, coldness or color change was detected in the lower extremities. The patient had fever, right inguinal swelling, and sweating. Abdominal CT showed an aortic thrombus and a hypodense lesion of 58 mm × 61 mm × 100 mm in the right psoas muscle. The repeated Brucella STA test was positive in 1:5120 titer. USG-guided drainage of the psoas abscess was performed and a treatment with doxycycline and rifampicin was administered for three months (Fig. 4). The patient was not operated on and progressed with no clinical complaints.