Splenic artery pseudoaneurysms causing lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Splenic Pseudoaneursym as the Cause of Recurrent Gastrointestinal Bleeding in a Woman With Diffuse Scleroderma

A 67-year-old woman with a 15-year history of intestinal scleroderma presented with recurrent melena. Upper endoscopies revealed a healing, non-bleeding, large gastric ulcer. After the third bleed, angiography demonstrated bleeding from a splenic artery pseudoaneurysm adjacent to the gastric ulcer. Scleroderma patients are at risk of bleeding from esophagitis or gastric arteriovenous malformations, while splenic artery pseudoaneurysms are primarily attributed to pancreatitis and trauma. This is the first reported case of gastrointestinal bleeding from a splenic artery pseudoaneurysm in a patient with intestinal scleroderma and a large gastric ulcer.

Clinical features and management of splenic artery pseudoaneurysm: case series and cumulative review of literature

INTRODUCTION

Splenic artery pseudoaneurysm is uncommon. We report our institution's recent 18-year experience with these aneurysms and review the literature.

METHODS

We reviewed the records for 37 patients with visceral artery pseudoaneurysm evaluated at our institution from 1980 to 1998. From this group we found only 10 patients (27%) with splenic artery pseudoaneurysm. We also reviewed 147 cases of splenic artery pseudoaneurysm reported in the English literature.

RESULTS

In this series of 10 patients, 5 were men. Mean age was 51.2 years (range, 35-78 years). Causes of aneurysm included chronic pancreatitis in 4 patients, trauma in 2 patients, iatrogenic cause in 1 patient, and unknown cause in 3. The most common symptom was bleeding in 7 patients and abdominal or flank pain in 5 patients; 2 patients had no symptoms. Aneurysm diameter was known for four pseudoaneurysms, and ranged from 0.3 to 3 cm (mean, 1.7 cm). Splenectomy and distal pancreatectomy were performed in 4 patients, splenectomy alone in 2 patients, endovascular transcatheter embolization in 2 patients, and simple ligation in 1 patient. One patient with a ruptured pseudoaneurysm died before any intervention could be performed; there were no postoperative deaths. Follow-up data were available for 7 patients, with a mean of 46.3 months (range, 4.5-120 months).

CONCLUSIONS

Splenic artery pseudoaneurysm is rare and usually is a complication of pancreatitis or trauma. Average aneurysm diameter in our series of 10 patients was smaller than previously reported (1.7 cm vs 5.0 cm). Although conservative management has produced excellent results in some reports, from our experience and the literature, we recommend repair of all splenic artery pseudoaneurysms.

Visceral artery aneurysms

Visceral artery aneurysms are an uncommon form of vascular disease that have a significant potential for rupture or erosion into an adjacent viscera, resulting in life-threatening hemorrhage. During the last decade, hepatic artery aneurysms have become the most commonly reported visceral artery aneurysm. This change likely reflects the increased use of percutaneous diagnostic and therapeutic biliary procedures, as well as increased use of diagnostic computed tomography after blunt abdominal trauma. A second significant development is the increased use of percutaneous catheter-based therapy in the management of visceral artery aneurysms. Nonetheless, a continued aggressive approach to the diagnosis and management of these unusual aneurysms remains warranted.