[Clinical features of pseudoaneurysms complicating pancreatitis: single center experience and review of Korean literature].
OBJECTIVE
Pseudoaneurysm is a life-threatening complication of chronic or acute pancreatitis. This study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical features of pseudoaneurysm complicating pancreatitis.


METHODS
We reviewed the medical records of 7 patients diagnosed as pseudoaneurysms with chronic pancreatitis in Korea University Guro and Anam Hospital from January 1995 to March 2006 and analyzed their demographics, clinical courses and outcomes.


RESULTS
All patients were men and mean age was 54.6 years (range, 43-67 years). All the cases occurred in the setting of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis complicated by pseudocyst. Abdominal pain was the unique initial clinical symptom in 5 cases, hematemesis in 1 case, and simultaneous abdominal pain with hematemesis in 1 case. Bleeding into pseudocyst developed in 5 cases, flowing into duodenum through pancreatic duct in 1 case and rupture into the descending colon in 1 case. Mean duration between onset of symptom and diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm was 7.8 days (range, 1-23 days). Six cases were diagnosed by abdominal computed tomography disclosing characteristic finding of focal high density area in the pseudocyst. Pulsed doppler abdominal sonography was performed before computed tomography in 3 cases and results were negative in 2 cases. Transcatheter arterial embolizations were initially performed in 6 cases, and there was no recurrent bleeding except one case of splenic infarction. Distal pancreatectomy was initially performed in 1 case.


CONCLUSIONS
Pseudoaneurysms complicating chronic pancreatitis shows various clinical features. Transcatheter arterial embolization can be recommended as a primary therapeutic modality.
Kim
Ji Hyun
JH
Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine, Paik Hospital, Busan, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Jae Seon
JS
Kim
Chang Duck
CD
Lee
Hong Sik
HS
Cho
Young Jig
YJ
Lee
Jong Sup
JS
Choi
Do Won
DW
Han
Woo Sik
WS
Kim
Youn Ho
YH
Yeon
Jong Eun
JE
Park
Jong-Jae
JJ
Byun
Kwan Soo
KS
Bak
Young-Tae
YT
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D001158:Arteries / Q000293:injuries; D003710:Demography; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010192:Pancreatic Pseudocyst / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography