Endovascular Management of a Splenic Artery Aneurysm

Abstract

Splenic artery aneurysms represent the third most common aneurysm in the abdomen. The majority are asymptomatic and discovered incidentally by abdominal imaging. The overall rupture rate is low but the associated mortality rate is high, especially in pregnant women and patients with portal hypertension. Traditionally, open surgical modalities represented the only viable treatments. More recently, laparoscopic and endovascular techniques have been applied to these vascular lesions. We report a case of a giant splenic artery aneurysm that was diagnosed incidentally and managed successfully by percutaneous splenic artery embolization. The case is presented and general considerations regarding the presentation, diagnosis, and management of splenic artery aneurysms are reviewed.