2020 Volume 40 Issue 5 Pages 661-665
Although patients with von Recklinghausen disease (VRD) are known to develop aneurysms as complications because of the vulnerability of their vessel walls, few reports have described splenic artery aneurysms as possible complications. A 46–year–old male with VRD was diagnosed as having a splenic artery aneurysm next to the hilus of the spleen using abdominal CT. As the aneurysm was located beside the hilus of the spleen and was a broad–based aneurysm type and because the patient was allergic to contrast agents, we chose laparoscopic surgery. As 80％ of the spleen became ischemic after the ligation of the splenic artery trunk, we performed a laparoscopic splenectomy along with the removal of the aneurysm. Histopathological findings showed the thickening of the intima, the thinning of the tunica media, and a ruptured internal elastic plate of the aneurysm. He was uneventfully discharged on the eleventh day after surgery. No apparent relapses have been observed for 14 months since the surgery. As patients with VRD complicated by aneurysms have a relatively high risk of rupture, careful follow–up and early treatment are recommended.
