Isolated Common Iliac Aneurysm and Dilated Left Ventricle: Kill Two Birds with One Stone?

Abstract

Strongyloides stercoralis is a nematode commonly known as roundworm. Humans are the primary host for the parasite and are infected when bare skin is exposed to contaminated soil. Once in the skin of the human host, the larvae migrate to the heart through the blood and then to the alveoli of the lungs, subsequently ending up in the trachea where the larvae are coughed up and swallowed. Clinically, this infection may be asymptomatic as well as present as an acute or chronic gastrointestinal discomfort, hyperinfection syndrome, or disseminated disease with the involvement of different organs. Myocarditis and vasculitis have been described. Here, we describe the case of a patient with a history of dilated cardiomyopathy and the novel finding of common iliac artery aneurysm in whose Strongyloides infection might be the trait d'union of these two conditions.

Keywords: Dilated cardiomyopathy; iliac artery aneurism; strongyloidosis.

Figure 1

Muldimodality Imaging evaluation: (a)ultrasound evaluation of common arterial artery, (b) short axis echocardiographic view, (c) 4-chambers echocardiographic view, (d and e) CT scan views, (f) CT scan 3-D reconstruction