Endovascular treatment of splenic artery aneurysm rupture: case report

Abstract

Abstract Background Splenic artery aneurysms are rare and usually asymptomatic, with a high risk of mortality once they get ruptured. This is a rare case of a spontaneous splenic artery aneurysm rupture in a high-risk patient for surgery. Endovascular treatment was the only option to save patient’s life. Case presentation We report a 70-year-old woman with multiple comorbidities, presenting to the emergency department with signs of shock: confusion, pallor, tachycardia, and hypotension. Computed tomography shows an active bleeding from a splenic artery aneurysm rupture. The patient was successfully submitted to emergent arterial embolization of the splenic artery aneurysm. Conclusions Endovascular treatment is a less aggressive approach and should be considered in high-risk patients for surgical intervention. Rupture of a splenic aneurysm is a rare condition with high mortality rate and should be considered as a differential diagnosis in a patient with abdominal pain and hemodynamic instability.