• 1. Department of Cardiac Surgery, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510010, P. R. China;
  • 2. Beijing Key Laboratory of Preclinical Research and Evaluation for Cardiovascular Implant Materials, Animal Experimental Centre, National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, P. R. China;
  • 3. Department of Echocardiography, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510010, P. R. China;
  • 4. Department of Neurosurgery, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510010, P. R. China;
CHEN Guangzhong, Email: chenguangzhong@gdph.org.cn; JIAN Xuhua, Email: jianxuhua@gdph.org.cn
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Objective  To summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with infectious intracranial aneurysm (IIA) associated with infective endocarditis (IE) and to share diagnostic and treatment experiences. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 554 patients who underwent cardiac surgery for IE at the Department of Cardiac Surgery of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from September 2018 to August 2023, and patients with secondary IIA were selected. Patients were divided into two groups based on the treatment plan for IIA: an anti-infection treatment group and an anti-infection plus endovascular treatment group. Results  A total of 31 patients with IE complicated by IIA were included, consisting of 21 males and 10 females, with a median age of 33 (26, 53) years. Fifteen patients had no obvious neurological symptoms before the diagnosis of IIA. Seven patients were treated with only anti-infection treatment for IIA; 24 patients underwent anti-infection plus endovascular embolization treatment, with 23 achieving technical success. The interval from IIA endovascular embolization to open-heart surgery was 2 (0, 6) days, and 9 patients underwent concurrent combined surgery. In the anti-infection treatment group, 3 patients of IIA rupture and bleeding occurred, and all died on the day of spontaneous discharge. In the anti-infection plus endovascular treatment group, 1 patient experienced aneurysm rupture leading to death. The remaining patients recovered well postoperatively, with no new neurological symptoms. Conclusion  IE patients should pay attention to head imaging examination to screen for IIA. In addition to regular anti infection measures, intracavitary therapy can be considered as a reasonable treatment plan for IIA in IE patients with indications for cardiac surgery.

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