Clinical Experiences of the Splanchnic Artery Aneurysms

Yu, Hee Chul; Seo, Kyoon; Cho, Baik Hwan

Abstract

Aneurysm of the splanchnic arteries are an uncommon form of vascular disease that have a significant potential for rupture or erosion into an adjacent viscera, resulting in life-threatening hemorrhage. Nearly 22% of these aneurysms present as surgical emergencies, including 8.5% that result in death. The major splanchnic vessels affected, in descending order of frequency, include the splenic(60%), hepatic(20%), superior mesenteric, celiac, gastric and gastroepiploic, jejunal-ileal-colic, pancreaticoduodenal and pancreatic, gastroduodenal arteries. Although in most instances these aneurysms are asymptomatic, their propensity for catastrophic exsanguinating rupture has long been recognized. Surgical and nonsurgical intervention has paralleled advances in angiography and vascular surgical technique. Currently, the increased use of percutaneous catheter-based therapy in the management of that disease. We report our experiences with surgical intervention and transcatheter arterial embolization(TAE) in 7 patients with splanchnic artery aneurysms. These consisted of 2 splenic, 3 hepatic, and 2 gastroduodenal artery aneurysms. Two splenic artery aneurysm patients were treated surgically with ligation of the proximal and distal aneurysm and splenectomy; one died of a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm before surgery was initiated and another was no further treatment. Other 5 patients were treated by TAE; no complications and no further treatments during follow-up. TAE is a safe and highly successful technique for the effective identification and treatment of splanchnic artery aneurysm.