[Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. A rare form of presentation]

In most cases a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurism is dramatic, with rapid deterioration of the clinical condition of the patient. With abdominal and back pain, pulsatile tumour, and development of bleeding shock the diagnosis is obvious. In some cases the symptoms are not clear and the condition can be misinterpreted. The authors describe a case to illustrate this. A 74 year-old male was admitted to hospital with vague abdominal pain and left inguinal hernia. It later turned out that a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurism was the reason for his symptoms and signs. 14 similar cases are reported in the literature.