Incidental finding by two-dimensional echocardiography of a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta after orthotopic heart transplantation.

Mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta is a rare and potentially fatal complication of cardiac surgery, particularly in immunosuppressed heart transplantation patients. In this case, a 70-year-old man who underwent heart transplantation 4 months earlier was incidentally found to have a large pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta at the level of the aortic suture line. Surgical repair of the pseudoaneurysm was undertaken, and cultures from the pseudoaneurysm were found to be positive for Aspergillus fumigatus. 2010 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.