Visceral artery aneurysms as seen in a community hospital

Visceral artery aneurysm (VAA) is a rare but important form of vascular pathology.

A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients treated for VAAs from 1980 to 1998 at the Northern California Kaiser Hospitals.

Thirty-one patients with VAAs were treated, 11 men and 20 women with an average age of 60 years. The arteries involved were 15 splenic, 8 hepatic, 5 superior mesenteric branch, 1 left gastric, 1 gastroduodenal, and 1 left colic. Seventy-four percent of patients presented with acute abdominal pain and/or shock secondary to aneurysm rupture. Angioembolization was performed in 9, and 25 were treated surgically. There was no morbidity, and 1 death (3.2%).

Patients with VAAs often present to the community hospital general surgeon as acute abdominal emergencies. Symptomatic VAAs can be managed successfully by simple ligation in the primary care setting.