A rare but dramatic case of haemoperitoneum of non-gynaecological orig
in which occurred during pregnancy is reported. Obstetrical causes of
shock having been excluded, laparotomy made it possible to discover an
aneurysm of the spenic artery and treat it by resection-ligation and
splenectomy. In such cases, the uterus is spared before the 6th month
of pregnancy, and beyond that date caesarean section is mandatory. The
pathogenesis of such arterial ruptures during pregnancy is unknown. T
he abrupt collapse accounts for the high maternal and foetal mortality
. Prevention can only be archieved by surgical treatment of all uncomp
licated aneurysm of the splenic artery in young women.