Copyright: ©Author(s) 2027. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 7, 2027; 33(1): 123843
Published online Jan 7, 2027. doi: 10.3748/wjg.123843
Published online Jan 7, 2027. doi: 10.3748/wjg.123843
Suspected Brucella-associated descending thoracic aortic pseudoaneurysm presenting as upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report and review of literature
Yan Xue, Xiao-Jing Yun, You-Tao Qi, Li-Hui Zhang, Department of Gastroenterology, The Second People’s Hospital of Liaocheng, Liaocheng 252600, Shandong Province, China
Qing-Yue Liu, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Second People’s Hospital of Liao
Kun Jiang, Department of Cardiac and Great Vascular Surgery, The Second People’s Hospital of Liaocheng, Liaocheng 252600, Shandong Province, China
Bao-Dong Li, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second People’s Hospital of Liaocheng, Liaocheng 252600, Shandong Province, China
Jian-Xian Zhang, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second People’s Hospital of Liaocheng, Liaocheng 252600, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Yan Xue and Xiao-Jing Yun.
Author contributions: Xue Y and Yun XJ contributed equally to this work, collected the clinical data, compiled the medical records, and drafted the initial manuscript as co-first authors; Liu QY contributed to peri-procedural critical care management and helped organize the clinical diagnostic and therapeutic reasoning; Qi YT and Zhang LH assisted with clinical data collection and manuscript revision; Jiang K performed the thoracic endovascular aortic repair procedure and provided the cardiovascular surgical details; Li BD provided infectious disease consultation and antimicrobial treatment recommendations; Zhang JX supervised the manuscript, interpreted the endoscopic findings, and critically revised the work for important intellectual content; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: ChatGPT was used solely for linguistic refinement and formatting assistance. No AI tool was involved in generating research data, interpreting results, or formulating conclusions. All AI-generated outputs were critically reviewed and revised by the authors.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Jian-Xian Zhang, MD, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second People’s Hospital of Liaocheng, No. 306 Jiankang Street, Liaocheng 252600, Shandong Province, China. zjx.2006@163.com
Received: June 1, 2026
Revised: July 1, 2026
Accepted: July 20, 2026
Published online: January 7, 2027
Processing time: 163 Days and 18.3 Hours
Revised: July 1, 2026
Accepted: July 20, 2026
Published online: January 7, 2027
Processing time: 163 Days and 18.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This case highlights a rare suspected Brucella-associated descending thoracic aortic pseudoaneurysm presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The lesion initially mimicked an ulcerated esophageal submucosal tumor, which created potential diagnostic confusion. Posterior esophageal protrusion with ulceration, adherent clot, dysphagia, or unexplained fever may indicate an underlying vascular etiology; therefore, contrast-enhanced computed tomography/computed tomography angiography should be prioritized before endoscopic biopsy or therapeutic intervention. Recognition of relevant zoonotic exposure may support early consideration of infectious aortitis.