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Mycotic aneurysms of the extracranial carotid arteries are rare, with only 27 cases reported in the English literature. The causative organism is most frequently Staphylococcus but infections due to Streptococcus, Salmonella and Klebsiella have been reported. Escherichia coli has been reported as the causative organism in three cases. Mycotic aneurysms usually present in the setting of generalized sepsis such as postoperative infection, septicaemia, dental sepsis, drug addiction or bacterial endocarditis. We report a patient who presented with a mycotic aneurysm of the internal carotid artery 2 months after undergoing a laparotomy for perineal sepsis.

The blood vessels and blood supply are of first importance in organ transplantation, and the use of established vascular surgical principles and techniques can simplify renal grafting and reduce its risks and complications. This paper describes a vascular surgeon's approach to the problems of donor nephrectomy, kidney insertion, and the avoidance and management of complications, based on the surgical experience in the Royal Melbourne Hospital of some 350 transplants.

A retrospective review of 40 consecutive patients undergoing combined coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and unilateral carotid endarterectomy (CEA) was carried out to determine the stroke rate for the procedure. Patients presenting with severe coronary artery disease judged to be at risk of imminent myocardial infarction, who had signs of cerebral ischaemia (70%) or asymptomatic carotid bruits (30%), were investigated for extracranial carotid vascular disease. Patients with severe stenotic carotid lesions associated with high risk coronary artery disease underwent combined CEA/CABG. Three patients had a previous contralateral CEA. The average age of the patients was 62 years, and there were 31 males and nine females. CEA was completed prior to CABG under the same general anaesthetic. There were 24 CEAs on the left and 16 on the right. Six patients suffered a postoperative cerebral ischaemic event (15.4%): a reversible ischaemic neurological deficit in three (7.7%), a transient ischaemic cerebral event in two (5.1%), and a permanent stroke occurred in one (2.6%). Two deaths occurred and both were cardiac related. Combined CEA/CABG in patients with stenotic lesions of the coronary and extra-cranial carotid vascular systems who are at risk of cerebral or myocardial infarction, can be performed with a permanent stroke rate within the published range for either CEA or CABG alone and with a mortality of 5%.

An expanding false aneurysm in the infratemporal fossa followed this patient's complicated jaw fracture. Successful Gelfoam embolization of the maxillary artery has controlled haemorrhage, treated the aneurysm, and avoided the hazards of local operative intervention. The technique of embolization has a place in the management of various difficult vascular problems.