Aorto-enteric fistula presenting as multicentric osteomyelitis.

A 60-year-old man treated with a prothesis for aorto-enteric fistulae developed multicentric osteomyelitis. Enteric flora were cultured from blood and bone but the diagnosis was delayed. Aorto-enteric fistulae can occur in a variety of circumstances but have become more common with the advent of reconstructive vascular surgery using prostheses. This entity frequently does not present in a dramatic way, but can be the cause of fatal bacteremia and septicemia.