Pseudoaneurysm in a chronic pancreatitis patient: report of a case, with emphasis on contrast-enhanced sonograms

Endovascular and Open Surgical Treatment of Ruptured Splenic Artery Aneurysms: A Case Report and a Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Ruptured splenic artery aneurysms (r-SAA), although rare, are burdened by high morbidity and mortality, even despite emergent surgical repair. It is suggested that endovascular treatment can achieve reduction in peri-operative death and complication rates, as in other vascular diseases, but evidence of such benefits is still lacking in this particular setting. We report a case of an r-SAA treated by trans-arterial embolization and then converted to open surgery for persistent bleeding, and we provide a systematic review of current results of open and endovascular repair of r-SAAs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A 50-year-old male presenting in shock for a giant r-SAA underwent emergent coil embolization and recovered hemodynamic stability. On the following day, he underwent laparotomy for evacuation of the huge intraperitoneal hematoma, but residual bleeding was noted from the splenic artery, which was ligated after coil removal, and a splenectomy was performed. A systematic literature review of the reported mortality and complications of r-SAA undergoing open (OSR) or endovascular (EVT) treatment was performed using the main search databases. All primary examples of research published since 1990 were included regardless of sample size. The main outcome measures were mortality and reinterventions. Secondary outcomes were post-operative complications.

RESULTS

We selected 129 studies reporting on 350 patients-185 treated with OSR and 165 with EVT. Hemodynamically unstable patients and ruptures during pregnancy were more frequently treated with open repair. Overall, there were 37 deaths (mortality: 10.6%)-24 in the OSR group and 13 in the EVTr group (mortality: 12.9% and 7.8% respectively, p-value: 0.84). There were 37 reinterventions after failed or complicated endovascular repair -6 treated with endovascular re-embolization and 31 with laparotomy and splenectomy (22.4%); there were 3 (1.6%) reinterventions after open repair. Overall complication rates were 7.3% in the EVT group (n: 12) and 4.2% in the OSR group (n: 7), and did not require reintervention. No significant differences in overall complications or in any specific complication rate were observed between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Current results of r-SAA treatment show equipoise terms of morbidity and mortality between open and endovascular repair; however, in case of hemodynamic instability and rupture during pregnancy, open surgery might still be safer. Moreover, endovascular repair is still burdened by a significantly higher rate of reinterventions, mostly with conversions to open surgery.

Giant Splenic Artery Pseudoaneurysms: Two Case Reports and Cumulative Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

Giant splenic artery pseudoaneurysms (GSAPs) > 5 cm are a rare clinical entity. The aim of this study was to present our experience with 2 such patients successfully treated by coil embolization and surgery and review the pertinent literature.

METHODS

A 58-year-old woman and 57-year-old man with a history of chronic pancreatitis were diagnosed with GSAP based on computed tomography (CT) angiography. The first patient had a 6-cm pseudoaneurysm, which was successfully treated with transcatheter coil embolization using a sandwich exclusion method. The second patient had two 7-cm lesions, which were successfully treated with distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy.

RESULTS

Postembolization CT angiography at 12 months showed remaining calcified pseudocyst without evidence of pseudoaneurysm in the first patient. Both patients remained well and symptom-free at 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Combined with the experience of the previous literature, we believe that management of GSAP should be tailored for each individual case depending on the location and number of pseudoaneurysms, the underlying etiology, and the patient's hemodynamic status. Embolization should be considered as the first-line treatment for clinically stable patients with GSAP, whereas GSAPs with a pseudocyst are best treated with surgery.

Giant peripancreatic artery aneurysm with emphasis on contrast-enhanced ultrasound: report of two cases

Visceral artery aneurysms have a potential possibility of rupture with life-threatening hemorrhage, and prompt detection and optimal treatment are required clinically. Actually, abdominal ultrasound plays a major role in detection of visceral artery aneurysms. Besides, the administration of contrast agents can highly improve the characterization of the lesion. Herein, we present two cases of giant peripancreatic artery aneurysm with emphasis on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Case 1 was a 54-year-old asymptomatic man who was diagnosed with a 12.1 cm × 5.2 cm splenic artery aneurysm in the absence of a clear etiologic factor. Case 2 was a 37-year-old man with a 6.3 cm × 5.3 cm pancreaticoduodenal artery pseudoaneurysm associated with chronic pancreatitis. Both diagnoses were confirmed by contrast-enhanced computer tomography (CECT) and digital subtracted angiography (DSA). Transcatheter embolization occlusion using coiling was successfully performed for both cases. Postoperative computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed complete occlusion. It is suggested that CEUS seems to be a promising diagnostic option and contributes to preoperative treatment planning for patients with peripancreatic artery aneurysm.