Hybrid endovascular and surgical staged approach for mycotic carotid pseudoaneurysms: a case report and literature review

Background: Mycotic carotid pseudoaneurysms represent a challenge for surgeons. They are rare and associated with high mortality and morbidity. Methods: We reported a case of a 61-year-old man with a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of carotid bifurcation. The case was managed by a staged procedure, starting with initial endovascular control using a stent graft, followed by open arterial reconstruction using a saphenous vein graft. Results: The patient was discharged home with a patent carotid artery and no sign of infection or bleeding. A computed tomography scan performed at 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year later confirmed good patency of the graft without imaging of cerebral ischemia. Conclusions: Mycotic pseudoaneurysms of the extracranial carotid artery are rare and should always be treated surgically. This disease, despite its rarity, requires early detection and treatment to avoid fatal outcomes. A hybrid staged approach is suggested, compared to one-staged surgery, to avoid rupture and improve clinical outcomes. This approach involves using a stent graft combined with antibiotic therapy as bridge treatment until definitive surgery can be performed to enable arterial reconstruction with an autologous graft.