Selective embolization for bleeding visceral artery pseudoaneurysms in patients with pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is associated with arterial complications in 4%-10% of patients, with untreated mortality approaching 90%. Timely intervention at a specialist center can reduce the mortality to 15%. We present a single institution experience of selective embolization as first line management of bleeding pseudoaneurysms in pancreatitis.

Sixteen patients with pancreatitis and visceral artery pseudoaneurysms were identified from searches of the records of interventional angiography from January 2000 to June 2007. True visceral artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms arising as a result of post-operative pancreatic or biliary leak were excluded from the study.

In 50% of the patients, bleeding complicated the initial presentation of pancreatitis. Alcohol was the offending agent in 10 patients, gallstones in 3, trauma, drug-induced and idiopathic pancreatitis in one each. All 16 patients had a contrast CT scan and 15 underwent coeliac axis angiography. The pseudoaneurysms ranging from 0.9 to 9.0 cm affected the splenic artery in 7 patients: hepatic in 3, gastroduodenal and right gastric in 2 each, and left gastric and pancreaticoduodenal in 1 each. One patient developed spontaneous thrombosis of the pseudoaneurysm. Fourteen patients had effective coil embolization of the pseudoaneurysm. One patient needed surgical exclusion of the pseudoaneurysm following difficulty in accessing the coeliac axis radiologically. There were no episodes of re-bleeding and no in-hospital mortality.

Pseudoaneurysms are unrelated to the severity of pancreatitis and major hemorrhage can occur irrespective of their size. Co-existent portal hypertension and sepsis increase the risk of surgery. Angiography and selective coil embolization is a safe and effective way to arrest the hemorrhage.