Appendicitis and aortofemoral graft infection
W. C. Krupski, R. A. Mitchell, B. L. Gewertz and W. J. Fry
A 59-year-old man who underwent successful aortofemoral bypass had acute
appendicitis at an indeterminate time in the postoperative period. Thirteen
months later, a pulsatile groin mass developed. After a complicated course,
it was found that infection from appendicitis had extended to the body of
the graft. This unusual cause of graft infection reaffirms the importance
of careful closure of the retroperitoneum over an aortic anastomosis and
suggests a relationship of other intra-abdominal inflammatory processes to
graft infection.
