ABSTRACT
Splenic artery pseudoaneurysm (SAP) is a rare condition, occurring from many causes like pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, surgery, abdominal trauma and iatrogenic origins. SAP poses a great challenge to clinicians because it can lead to a variety of symptoms from abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting to massive bleeding into gastrointestinal tracts as well as abdominal cavity. A 43-year-old female who had previously been managed for alcoholic chronic pancreatitis and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura was admitted with hematochezia and dizziness. Patient went into shock from bleeding, however, there was no bleeding focus on initial CT scan and gastroduodenoscopy. Shock occurred repeatedly due to the severe blood loss from gastrointestinal tracts. On the 4th day in hospital, duodenal bleeding was suspected on gastrointestinal bleeding scan and bleeding from ampulla of Vater was found on follow-up gastroduodenoscopy. SAP which causes hemosuccus pancreaticus was diagnosed on angiography and it was treated successfully by embolization.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Abdominal Cavity , Abdominal Pain , Alcoholics , Ampulla of Vater , Aneurysm, False , Angiography , Dizziness , Follow-Up Studies , Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage , Gastrointestinal Tract , Hemorrhage , Nausea , Pancreatitis , Pancreatitis, Chronic , Peptic Ulcer , Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic , Shock , Splenic Artery , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , VomitingABSTRACT
Bleeding from pancreatic pseudocyst is a rare complication. Furthermore, massive upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding from gastro-cystic fistula formation and intracystic bleeding are both extremely rare and are also potentially fatal. A 53-year-old male was referred to the emergency room with melena and hematemesis. An urgent endoscopy revealed a massive gastric hematoma but showed no specific bleeding focus. Gastrocystic fistula formation and intracystic bleeding leakage to the stomach were suspicious in the follow-up endoscopy. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan demonstrated splenic artery pseudoaneurysm and extravasation of contrast media into the cyst that was abutted to the greater curvature side of the stomach. A splenic artery embolization was performed and no further bleeding occurred after embolization. Upper GI bleeding from gastro-cystic fistula and intracystic bleeding are rare but possible. Therefore, this possibility should be considered in the unknown cause of an upper GI bleeding in a patient with pancreatic pseudocyst.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Aneurysm, False , Emergency Service, Hospital , Endoscopy , Extravasation of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Materials , Fistula , Follow-Up Studies , Hematemesis , Hematoma , Hemorrhage , Melena , Pancreatic Pseudocyst , Splenic Artery , StomachABSTRACT
Splenic artery pseudoaneurysm (SAP) is a very rare case, postoperatively. SAP originates from many causes such as complication of chronic pancreatitis in adults and blunt abdominal trauma in children. SAP related to surgery may result from direct tissue injury during operation. Urgent angiography is helpful in diagnoses and life-saving procedures as the endovascular embolization simultaneously. However, endovascular management is not a definite treatment modality in patients previously operated on because the blood supply of remaining organs will be insufficient after embolization. In this paper, we report a rare case that is proximal splenic artery pseudoaneurysm after radical subtotal gastrectomy in a 63-year-old male patient with early gastric cancer, as well as a brief review.