Splenic artery aneurysm

Case contributed by Mohamed Mattar
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Non-specific abdominal pain

Patient Data

Age: 50 years
Gender: Female
x-ray

Left hypochondrium peripherally calcified rounded lesion.

ct

A well-defined rounded shape peripherally calcified lesion seen within the tail of pancreas along the distal end of splenic artery before it is bifurcation showing contrast opacification similar to the splenic artery and appears connected to it. It measures about 3.2 x 2.4 cm.

Case Discussion

The splenic artery is the third most common site of intra-abdominal aneurysms after aneurysms of the abdominal aorta and the iliac arteries, splenic artery aneurysms are being diagnosed with increasing frequency as incidental findings.

The causes of splenic artery pseudoaneurysm include pancreatitis, trauma, iatrogenic and postoperative causes, and rarely, peptic ulcer disease. In the case of pancreatitis, pancreatic enzymes are thought to cause necrotizing arteritis with the destruction of vessel wall architecture and fragmentation of elastic tissues, leading to aneurysm or pseudoaneurysm. In addition to direct damage of vascular structures by the spread of pancreatic enzymes from severe inflammation.

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