title: Spontaneous rupture of splenic artery aneurysm in pregnancy: a case report.
abstract: Splenic artery aneurysms (SAA) occur predominantly in women, and the majority of them are asymptomatic until rupture. Over half of those that rupture occur during pregnancy. Spontaneously ruptured SAA during pregnancy is always a life-threatening surgical entity for both the mother and the fetus. We report the case of a 29-year-old woman at 34 weeks' gestation with spontaneous rupture of SAA who underwent emergency exploratory laparotomy and splenectomy. This case illustrates the need to consider ruptured SAA as part of important differential diagnosis in haemodynamically unstable pregnant women.
authors.affiliation: Second Surgical Department, 401 General Army Hospital of Athens, Greece. drsgourgiotis@tiscali.co.uk
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gourgiotis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alfaras
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Salemis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D013156:Splenectomy; D013157:Splenic Artery