Case Report

A rare clinic presentation of abdominal pain: rupture of splenic artery aneurysm: a case report

Sezgin Sarikaya¹ , Baki Ekci² , Can Aktas¹ , Asli Cetin¹ , Didem Ay¹ and Alp Demirag²

¹  Yeditepe University Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Devlet Yolu Ankara Cad 102/104, Kozyatağı/İstanbul, Turkey

²  Yeditepe University Hospital, Department of General Surgery, Devlet Yolu Ankara Cad 102/104, Kozyatağı/İstanbul, Turkey

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Cases Journal 2009, 2:148doi:10.1186/1757-1626-2-148

Published:	5 October 2009

Abstract

Background

Splenic artery aneurysms (SAA) are uncommon but the most common visceral artery aneurysm. Splenic artery aneurysms are important to recognize because up to 25% may be complicated by rupture and the mortality rate after rupture is between 25% and 70%.

Case report

We present a patient who have abdominal pain. Previously healthy 22-year-old female admitted to emergency department with abdominal pain. Her physical examination reveals only left upper quadrant tenderness. Suddenly she developed hypovolemic shock. On emergent laparotomy massive blood collection within peritoneal cavity and retroperitoneal space at the left upper quadrant was detected. The source of bleeding was evident as rupture of splenic artery aneurysm. Splenectomy was performed following the ligation of splenic artery proximal to lesion. On the tenth day she was discharged from the hospital with complete recovery.

Conclusion

It is important to remember rupture of splenic artery aneurysm in patients with abdominal pain and hypovolemic shock status.