Korean J Pain.  2013 Apr;26(2):191-194. 10.3344/kjp.2013.26.2.191.

Referred Pain in Right Arm from Abdominal Wall Pseudoaneurysm

• Park SY
• Ahn SK
• Kim HY
• Shin JY
• Min S

• KMID: 1978668
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2013.26.2.191

Abstract

Pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal wall is a possible but very rare clinical entity. It is a known complication of surgery, trauma, or arterial puncture, but it is rarely spontaneous. Even though it can usually present with a wide range of local symptoms, it can cause referred pain via spinal cord, which is cross-excited with afferent sympathetic nervous system. We report a case of right arm pain which was referred from a small abdominal pseudoaneurysm like a referred pain from gall bladder. This rare entity should be considered in the differential for pain management in case that the pain does not resolve with medication or interventional pain management.

Keyword

abdominal pseudoaneurysm; referred pain; ultrasonography

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Wall
Aneurysm, False
Arm
Pain Management
Pain, Referred
Punctures
Spinal Cord
Sympathetic Nervous System
Urinary Bladder

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Color doppler ultrasound demonstrates active blood flow in the pseudoaneurysm (arrow).

• 

  Fig. 2 An oval mass which is filled with contrast media is shown at the right upper abdomen on the anteroposterior view of fluoroscopy (arrow).

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