Fatal hemorrhage from a ruptured aneurysm of a submucosal gastric artery.
We have described a case of rupture of a microaneurysm of a submucosal gastric artery, discovered at autopsy. Most patients with this condition present with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage for which no obvious cause can be found clinically, and even laparotomy may fail to disclose the cause. Because the predence of this lesion may easily elude even experienced pathologists, increased awareness of this entity is needed for correct diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment, whithout which the condition has proved to be almost invariably fatal.
D000783:Aneurysm / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D001158:Arteries; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D013270:Stomach / Q000098:blood supply*