Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms presenting as radicular compression syndromes.

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Neurology

Background:

• Aneurysms of major abdominal arteries can present with atypical symptoms.
• Radicular compression syndromes typically involve neural compression.

Observation:

• Two patients presented with symptoms mimicking radicular compression syndrome.
• One patient had an infrarenal aorta and common iliac artery aneurysm rupturing into the iliac vein.
• The other patient had a distal abdominal aorta aneurysm rupturing into the iliopsoas muscle.

Findings:

• Posterior rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms can cause lumbosacral neural compression.
• Symptoms included radicular pain, mimicking spinal nerve root issues.

Implications:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lumbosacral neural compression.
• Early surgical repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms is life-saving.