Spontaneous aortoduodenal fistula. Report of a case

Spontaneous aortoduodenal fistula is a rare disease. The characteristic clinical picture is a pulsating tumour in the upper abdomen, repeated moderate haemorrhages often combined with severe epigastralgia. The patient very seldom succumbs because of a large first haemorrhage, and there is often time for roentgenologic examinations. The present paper described a case where the diagnosis could not be established until autopsy in spite of angiographic investigation because of clinical suspicion. The only way to treat a patient with any hope of curing him is to perform a grafting of the aorta and suture of the duodenum.