Visceral artery aneurysms: Experience in a tertiary-care center

Visceral artery aneurysms (VAAs) often rupture and cause serious morbidity or death. The purpose of this study was to identify conditions associated w ith VAA in a series of 30 patients treated at our institution from 1988 thr ough 1998. Demographics, types of aneurysms, associated conditions, diagnos es, treatments, and outcomes were recorded and analyzed. Thirty patients (1 6 men and 14 women) with VAA were identified. The arteries involved were sp lenic (eight), renal (ten), hepatic (nine), hypogastric (one), celiac (one) , and pancreaticoduodenal (one). Five of eight (63%) splenic artery aneurys ms occurred in women; however, gender was not a factor in other aneurysmal groups. Splenic artery aneurysm also was associated with cirrhosis in four of the eight (50%) patients. Five of the nine (56%) hepatic artery aneurysm s were associated with cirrhosis; two of these were pseudoaneurysms that oc curred after liver transplantation. Five of ten (50%) renal artery aneurysm s were associated with juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. Celiac and pa ncreaticoduodenal aneurysms were associated with gastrointestinal bleeding. Treatments included surgery (19), embolization (eight), and observation al one (three). These data demonstrate that association with other conditions varies according to subgroups of VAA. Despite advances in diagnosis and the rapy the heterogeneity of VAA suggests that management must remain individu alized.