Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm caused by chronic pancreatitis: Case report and literature review

Medicine (Baltimore). 2023 Feb 3;102(5):e32834. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000032834.

Abstract

Rationale: Visceral artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of chronic pancreatitis (CP), all pancreatic or peripancreatic arteries have been reported to be involved, while hepatic artery is less common.

Patient concerns: This case report illustrated a 42-year-old man with CP who developed right hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm (HAP), and finally he was treated with intravascular embolization.

Diagnoses: The patient suffered from HAP due to acute attack of CP.

Interventions: The pseudoaneurysm located in a fine branch of right hepatic artery was embolized.

Outcomes: The HAP of the patient was cured. He had no recurrent bloody stool or abdominal pain. The symptoms gradually relieved.

Conclusion: Herein, we report a patient with CP who developed right HAP causing infected hematoma, gastrointestinal bleeding, and obstructive jaundice, and a literature review is also presented. HAP caused by CP is a rare disease in the clinic, but rupture of pseudoaneurysm is fatal. Careful evaluation, early detection, and prompt treatment should be performed when the patient is admitted and followed up.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aneurysm, False* / etiology
  • Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / etiology
  • Hepatic Artery
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pancreas / blood supply
  • Pancreatitis, Chronic* / complications