Femoral artery pseudoaneurysm due to Candida albicans in an injection drug user

Abstract

Candida arteritis is an uncommon condition but important to recognize due to the risk of significant morbidity and the difficulty in management of the enduring fungal infection. The authors report a rare case of a man with a femoral artery pseudoaneurysm with persistent Candida albicans infection, as a complication of infective endocarditis. The 23-year-old man, with a history of chronic intravenous drug use and Type I diabetes mellitus, presented with left groin pain, paresthesia of his left foot, and a pulsatile mass in the inguinal region. On imaging, he was found to have a pseudoaneurysm of the left common femoral artery, which later ruptured. Further investigation revealed vegetations on the mitral and aortic valves as well. Initial blood cultures were negative. He underwent multiple surgical interventions including replacement of the mitral and aortic valves and resection of the left common femoral artery with autogenous revascularization. In addition, he was commenced on intravenous antifungal therapy. Postoperatively, he continued to experience significant pain in the left groin and had two episodes of rerupture of the femoral artery that was consequently surgically repaired. Histological examination of the resected valves revealed vegetations with a mixture of fungal elements and bacterial cocci. The femoral artery resection specimens revealed evidence of infectious arteritis and the presence and persistence of C. albicans organisms in subsequent specimens. This case highlights the importance of an accurate diagnosis and aggressive management of fungal mycotic aneurysms in at-risk populations.

Keywords: Arteritis; Candida albicans; Endocarditis; Intravenous drug abuse; Pseudoaneurysm.