Aspergillus Arterial Emboli in a Patient After Coronary Artery By-Pass Grafting

In this report, a 74-year old male with atypical emboli of the aortic and superior mesenteric arteries is presented. In the period preceding the occurrence of emboli, patients complained of malaise, low grade fever and weight loss. Incidentally, the patient underwent coronary artery bypass grafting two years prior to presentation. The pathologic examination of the embolus revealed the presence of typical Aspergillus spp hyphae. The presence of Aspergillus spp antigen in the patient serum was confirmed by an immunoenzymatic test. The transthoracic echocardiography did not show any signs of endocarditis or vegetations on the valves. Transesophageal echocardiography and angio-CT demonstrated lesions consistent with Aspergillus aortitis in the ascending aorta. The basic clinical features of Aspergillus aortitis and aspergillus emboli are discussed in this report.