Endovascular Therapy of Aortic Rupture Secondary to a Psoas Abscess

Secondary infection of the aorta is a sporadic and life-threatening disease. It is usually caused by infection and abscess in an adjacent structure. The most common mechanism for secondary aortic infection is a psoas abscess eroding the aortic wall, which rarely results in non-aneurysmal aortic rupture. Primary treatment is surgical aortic reconstruction, but the risk of emergency surgical treatment is high. Endovascular aortic stent-graft implantation can be lifesaving in this setting by stopping the bleeding. However, the crucial question of durability and late infections remains unanswered and warrants long-term antibiotic treatment and follow-up. In this report, we present a case of primary psoas abscess, which resulted in non-aneurysmal aortic rupture and its endovascular treatment.

Automated summary

Secondary infection of the aorta is a life-threatening disease caused by adjacent structure infections. The main cause is a psoas abscess eroding the aortic wall, which rarely results in non-aneurysmal aortic rupture. Surgical aortic reconstruction is the primary treatment, but it carries a high risk. Endovascular aortic stent-graft implantation can be a lifesaving alternative, but durability and late infections require long-term antibiotic treatment and follow-up.