Gastric deformity from extrinsic pressure by calcified splenic artery.

Abstract

Calcification of the branches of the celiac artery is not an uncommon observation on roentgenograms of the abdomen in elderly patients. The celiac trunk branches from the abdominal aorta just below the aortic hiatus in the diaphragm and divides into three branches close to its origin. The splenic artery branch proceeds to the left, behind the stomach, and courses horizontally along the superior border of the pancreas to the hilus of the spleen (Fig. 1). The course is normally tortuous and this tortuosity becomes more pronounced with aging. In elderly patients, also, the walls of the splenic artery frequently show calcification. It is not surprising, therefore, in view of the close proximity of the splenic artery to the posterior lesser curvature of the stomach in the region of the cardia, that an exceptionally tortuous artery, and especially one which has become rigid due to calcific atherosclerosis, may produce a pressure defect simulating an intrinsic gastric lesion. One of our patients, having gastroin...