Ruptured aortic pseudoaneurysm 28 years after gunshot wound: case report and review of the literature

Penetrating injuries to the abdominal aorta most often result in rapid exsanguination and death. Immediate surgical intervention may result in control of hemorrhage and survival of the patient. Rarely, hemorrhage after aortic injury may be contained by surrounding tissues, resulting in pseudoaneurysm formation. Traumatic pseudoaneurysms may rupture at any time, and this is usually a fatal event. A 47-year-old man recently presented with a supraceliac abdominal aortic pseudoaneurysm that ruptured into the right chest 28 years after a gunshot wound to the back. This report describes the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of traumatic pseudoaneurysms of the abdominal aorta and includes a review of the literature. This is a case in which a traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal aorta was successfully repaired by surgery after rupture into the thorax and is the first such case to be reported in the literature.