Korean J Intern Med.  2008 Sep;23(3):152-155. 10.3904/kjim.2008.23.3.152.

Spontaneous rupture of the lateral thoracic artery in patients with liver cirrhosis

• Lee TH
• Park YS
• Chung DJ
• Kim JH
• Kim SM
• Im EH
• Huh KC

• KMID: 759973
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2008.23.3.152

Abstract

Bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis is primarily caused by gastroesophageal varix in association with extensive collateral circulation, portal hypertensive gastropathy, a Mallory-Weiss tear and peptic ulcer disease. The spontaneous rupture of an artery, as a result of coagulopathy, is extremely rare in patients with liver cirrhosis; however, we recently observed a case of a spontaneous rupture of the lateral thoracic artery in a 47 year-old male patient with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The patient expired despite repeated transcatheter arterial embolization of the lateral thoracic artery and best supportive care. This is, to our knowledge, the first documented case of the spontaneous rupture of the lateral thoracic artery in a patient with liver cirrhosis.

Keyword

Rupture; Spontaneous; Thoracic Artery; Liver Cirrhosis

MeSH Terms

Aneurysm, Dissecting/*etiology
Fatal Outcome
Humans
Liver Cirrhosis/*complications
Male
Middle Aged
Rupture, Spontaneous/*etiology
Thoracic Arteries/*pathology
Time Factors