Successful Endovascular Repair of a Penetrating Aortic Ulcer in Bacterial Aortitis

Infective aortitis (IA) and penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU) impending for rupture represent 2 hostile life-threatening conditions. Simultaneous presentations of these rare entities can be considered an exception. The pleomorphic clinical presentation and the multifactorial etiology require a multidisciplinary approach to reach a correct diagnosis and an urgent treatment. We report the case of a 65-year-old patient presented with acute abdominal pain and septic shock secondary to a bacterial aortitis and penetrating ulcer of abdominal aorta. Unfit for surgery due to severe comorbidities, he was treated by means of a tubular endograft and long-term antibiotic therapy. A rapid improvement of clinical conditions was observed during the subsequent hospital stay. Complete regression of aortic involvement was demonstrated after 1 year. In conclusion, for selected patients affected by IA and PAU an endovascular approach associated to long-term antibiotic therapy may be safe and effective.