[The clinical feature, diagnosis and management of splenic artery aneurysms in liver transplant patients].
OBJECTIVE
To summarize the clinical feature of splenic artery aneurysms (SAA) in OLT recipient, and review the experience in diagnosis and management.


METHODS
The clinical data, results of four-phase CT scanning and CT angiography of 450 recipients, who underwent OLT from December 2001 to December 2003 were analyzed statistically.


RESULTS
Twenty of 450 recipients were diagnosed as SAA, the incidence was about 4.4%. Nineteen of them were diagnosed by four-phase CT scanning. Fifteen patients did not receive any treatment for SAA during OLT, but two of them suffered SAA rupture after OLT, among which one died of hemorrhagic shock although emergency operations were performed. The five patients, who were performed splenectomy with SAA resection during transplantation, recovered successfully after OLT, and their grafts' function was satisfactory.


CONCLUSIONS
Morbidity of SAA is higher in patients of liver cirrhosis. Four-phase CT scanning can diagnose SAA exactly. In the early period post-OLT, SAA rupture happens frequently, so SAA resection should be performed during transplantation.
Zheng
Hong
H
Department of Transplant Surgery, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin 300192, China.
Cui
Yu-Jun
YJ
Zhu
Zhi-Jun
ZJ
Pan
Cheng
C
Deng
Yong-Lin
YL
Shen
Zhong-Yang
ZY
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous / Q000601:surgery; D013157:Splenic Artery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult