Pseudoaneurysm in a chronic pancreatitis patient: report of a case, with emphasis on contrast-enhanced sonograms.

Abstract

The association between pseudoaneurysm of the splenic artery and pancreatitis is now established. Rupture of an aneurysm is a lethal condition, and early diagnosis and treatment are required to prevent this hazardous life-threatening complication. In our case, early detection of pseudoaneurysm of the splenic artery enabled us to start prompt embolization, which yielded good results. Splenic infarction is known to be an important and frequent complication of transarterial embolization of splenic artery aneurysms. Thus, when performing transarterial embolization of a splenic artery aneurysm, this complication must be kept in mind and it is absolutely necessary to confirm the presence or absence of this complication after embolization of the aneurysm. In our case of pseudoaneurysm of the splenic artery due to acute aggravation of chronic pancreatitis, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography confirmed the spleen to be free from infarction. Thus, this technique is strongly recommended in such instances.