Posttraumatic aneurysm of splanchnic arteries. Report of two cases

Two cases of posttraumatic aneurysms of splanchnic arteries were referred to Istituto di Chirurgia Generale e Cardiovascolare del-l'Università di Milano (Italy) during 1989, and are the subject of this report. In both the instances a history of blunt abdominal trauma was collected, and histology confirmed the characters of false aneurysms of the lesions. The arteries involved were the middle colic and the splenic, respectively, with a long lasting history of recurrent abdominal pain related with particular physiologic events (e.g. meals or effort) only in the first case. The physiopathology, clinical feature, and problems related to surgical treatment in each cases are discussed in detail.