Traumatic visceral artery aneurysm: presentation as massive hemorrhage from perforation into an adjacent hollow viscus.
BACKGROUND
While diagnosis of extremity pseudoaneurysm is usually straightforward, pseudoaneurysms arising from visceral arteries may be occult. Perforation of a visceral artery pseudoaneurysm into an adjacent hollow viscus with subsequent hemorrhage has been rarely reported.


OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively evaluate the cause, clinical presentation, and outcome of patients with bleeding traumatic visceral artery aneurysms.


METHODS
Records of nine patients with visceral hemorrhage due to posttraumatic arterial aneurysms.


RESULTS
All had penetrating torso trauma 2 to 52 (mean, 12.3) weeks before presentation to our facility and had undergone 1 to 5 (mean, 2.2) prior operations. They had 2 to 15 episodes of hemorrhage into the gastrointestinal (seven cases), respiratory (one case), and urinary (one case) tracts. All underwent emergent surgery with ligation of the involved artery and resection of the corresponding portion of viscus. Evidence of prior attempts at hemostasis with multiple heavy ligatures was evident in all cases. All patients recovered without further complications.


CONCLUSIONS
Traumatic visceral artery aneurysms are usually due to penetrating trauma. They present as episodes of massive bleeding through one of the hollow viscera, and may stop bleeding without direct intervention only to occur again. Prompt operative therapy is usually necessary.
Hassantash
S A
SA
Department of Surgery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Teheran, Iran.
Mock
C
C
Maier
R V
RV
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000209:etiology*; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000293:injuries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012421:Rupture; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000150:complications*