title: Sonographic diagnosis and follow-up of idiopathic hepatic artery aneurysm, an unusual cause of obstructive jaundice.
abstract: Hepatic artery aneurysms are rare. We report an idiopathic hepatic artery aneurysm causing obstructive jaundice in a case in which the common hepatic artery arose from the superior mesenteric artery. The diagnosis of hepatic artery aneurysm was suggested by gray-scale sonography, which showed that the common bile duct and intrahepatic biliary radicles were dilated with no obvious intraluminal abnormality and showed no evidence of a mass in the head of the pancreas. A papillotomy of the papilla duodeni major was performed to relieve the cholestasis. Repeat sonography 2 weeks later showed dilatation of the common bile duct and a cyst-like lesion at the porta hepatis impressing the anterior part of the common bile duct. Doppler sonography confirmed pulsatile flow within the cyst-like lesion. Helical CT showed a well-circumscribed lesion with a density similar to that of the abdominal aorta, and mesenteric angiography showed a 3-cm, smooth aneurysm arising from the common hepatic artery, which originated from the superior mesenteric artery. The aneurysm was successfully treated with transcatheter embolization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging, North Manchester General Hospital, Delauneys Road, Crumpsal, Manchester M8 5RB, United Kingdom.
authors.lastname: Chandramohan
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sherlock
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tam
mesh_terms: D000783:Aneurysm / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D017538:Mesenteric Artery, Superior / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler