Review Article

Blood Flukes and Arterial Damage: A Review of Aneurysm Cases in Patients with Schistosomiasis

Table 3

Summary of findings.

Clinical presentation
 The most frequently reported symptom at presentation was pain referred to the chest, hypochondrium, or the lumbar region, followed by dyspnoea, fever, hoarseness and Ortner’s syndrome, hyper-eosinophilia, syncope, cardiogenic shock, and anaemia
Cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities
 Cardiovascular issues were the most frequent associated comorbidity, including hypertension, previous surgery for type A aortic dissection; oesophageal varices, a history of smoke and alcohol consumption were also described in some patients
Timing of schistosomiasis diagnosis and arterial damage observation
 A history of previously diagnosed schistosomiasis was reported in the majority of cases or in patients with known chronic schistosomiasis, in an advanced stage with ouverte complications. Cases have been also described in patients that had lived in endemic areas previously to the vascular diagnosis even if negative to parasitological investigations and many years after leaving the endemic country
Arterial districts involved by aneurysm lesions
 The most frequently involved arterial district was the pulmonary artery, followed by aortic lesions which included one recurrent lesion on previous aortic surgery and abdominal visceral vessels aneurysms (specifically in splenic, hepatic artery, right portal branch, and renal artery)
Laboratory investigations
 Diagnosis of actual infection was reached by different methods, including serology, stool sample analysis, biopsy of lung, liver, or testis
Pharmacological treatment
 Case 4: beta-blocker gastro-enteric haemorrhage preventive therapy in splenic artery aneurysm with intrahepatic shunt
 Case 7: heparin and then anticoagulant in pulmonary artery aneurysm
 Case 8: anticoagulant for pulmonary artery aneurysm complicated by atrial thrombus
 Case 11: ciprofloxacin, piperacillin, and tazobactam then switched to meropenem and metronidazole for aortic graft infection and rupture on previous type A dissection surgery
 Case 12: praziquantel and triclabendazole for hepatic pseudoaneurysm in hepatic abscess
 Case 13: antifailure measures and anticoagulants
Surgical treatment
 Case 2: aneurysmectomy and direct suture of pseudoaneurysm of aortic arch
 Case 3: splenectomy for right portal branch aneurysm and portal hypertension
 Case 6: nephrectomy, aneurysmectomy, and kidney reimplantation for renal artery aneurysm
 Case 11: nonspecified reintervention for aortic graft infection and aortic rupture
Outcome
 Case 3: portal vein thrombosis after splenectomy, resolved after 4 years follow-up. In 3 cases exitus was reported
 Case 5: comorbidities did not allow surgery for pulmonary artery aneurysm and cardiac tamponade
 Case 7: massive pulmonary embolism complicating a pulmonary artery aneurysm for which treatment had been refused
 Case 11: heart failure in the late postoperatory period for reintervention on previous aortic graft
 Case 12: hepatic artery bleeding through ampulla of Vater notwithstanding pharmacological therapy with praziquantel
 Case 13: alive, refused surgery, discharged on anticoagulant and antifailure measures

The clinical presentation, cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities, timing of schistosomiasis diagnosis and arterial damage observation, arterial districts commonly involved, the diagnostic and therapeutic management, and outcome of patients are summarised.