A Case of Spontaneous Rupture of a Splenic Artery Aneurysm in the Third Trimester.

Lee, Hea Eun; Joung, Byoung Hun; No, Ju Young; Joo, In Sook; Shim, Jae Sik; Seo, Kyung Young

Case Report

Korean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2002;45(6):1064-1068.
Published online June 1, 2002.

A Case of Spontaneous Rupture of a Splenic Artery Aneurysm in the Third Trimester.

Hea Eun Lee, Byoung Hun Joung, Ju Young No, In Sook Joo, Jae Sik Shim, Kyung Young Seo

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea Veterans Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

The spontaneous rupture of splenic artery aneurysm during pregnancy is a rare but catastrophic event. Two thirds of all ruptures happen during the third trimester. Clinical presentation is often non-specific, with good hemodynamic compensation, followed by a rapid deterioration. Active management and operation are the most important procedures for diagnosis and therapy of the bleeding. Abdominal delivery will help to establish diagnosis and should be performed immediately. We report a case of a patient at 38 weeks of gestation suffering epigastric pain and fetal distress. At emergency cesarean delivery, an aneurysmal rupture of the splenic artery was found to be the reason for the hemoperitoneum. Spleen, aneurysm and the tail of the pancreas were removed. In spite of fatal hemorrhage, the patient survived but her fetus was dead. With a review of the literature on this topic, diagnostic aspects and treatment options are discussed.

Key Words: Ruptured splenic artery aneurysm, Pregnancy