A chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm complicated with severe back pain.
Chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is an uncommon occurrence with the aneurysms usually small-to-moderate in size. Diagnosis may be difficult because patients present with both atypical and chronic symptoms. Pressure erosion of the lumbar spine is presumably a highly significant associated disorder, but an enhanced computed tomographic scan is the most reliable method for the correct diagnosis. We report on a 46-year-old man who developed severe back pain which was initially thought to result from spinal disease. Retrospective review of computed tomographic scans taken two years before admission revealed the beginning of the leakage of the aneurysm. Remarkably, the patient remained stable two years after the rupture.
Nakagawa
Y
Y
First Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Japan.
Masuda
M
M
Shiihara
H
H
Furukawa
H
H
Hayashida
N
N
Kasegawa
H
H
Abe
H
H
Okui
K
K
D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006406:Hematoma / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed