DELAYED PSEUDOANEURYSM OF THE MESENTERIC ARTERY AFTER BLUNT ABDOMINAL TRAUMA : REPORT OF A CASE

Abstract

  Delayed post-traumatic pseudoaneurysm of mesenteric artery is an uncommon complication after blunt abdominal injury. The rupture of pseudoaneurysms may result in a critical situation. Thus, it is crucial to know the clinical course, detecting this complication earlier.
  The case presented herein features an unruptured traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the ileocolic artery. A 60-year-old man was involved in a car crash and found lying on the road. On arrival, we diagnosed the patient by computed tomography (CT) scan as having traumatic aortic dissection and mesenteric hematoma adjacent to the ileocecal area, both of which were treated conservatively. Eight days after admission, the patient complained of abdominal pain. The next day, a follow-up CT scan showed a freshly formed unruptured pseudoaneurysm of the ileocolic artery. The pseudoaneurysm was treated successfully by transarterial embolization without bowel ischemia. Trauma physicians should take care to recall this complication when treating blunt abdominal trauma patients with mesenteric vascular injury.