Chronic splenic artery occlusion with gastric wall arterial ectasia, an unusual cause of massive upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Abstract

Life-threatening upper gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage can occur as a result of bleeding from a variety of arterial and venous sources. We present an unusual cause of life-threatening upper GI hemorrhage arising from ectatic gastric wall arterial branches in a 49-year-old male with previously unrecognized chronic splenic artery thrombosis. The patient developed a recurrence of bleeding despite coil embolization of an accessory left gastric artery branch supplying the gastric fundus suspected to be the site of active bleeding. The patient subsequently underwent splenectomy and surgical ligation of a bleeding gastric artery branch. This case emphasizes the importance of recognizing this unusual cause of upper GI hemorrhage for proper management and prevention of recurrence. Informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of the case report including accompanying images.