CONTAINED RUPTURE OF ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSMS

Abstract

Rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm often presents with an abdominal pain, hypotension and a pulsatile abdominal mass. In the last years same clinical reports describe patients with less apparent clinical signs who were found later in their evaluation to have a contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The diagnosis may be delayed by consideration of other disease causing similar symptoms ( herniated disc, renal colic ). In these patients with confusing abdominal symptoms CT scan provides a rapid and noninvasive diagnosis. We report three cases of contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm evaluated by computed tomography with different clinical presentation: back pain for erosion into the lumbar vertebral bodies, lower extremity neuropathy and obstructive jaundice. All patients were operated on within 24 hours on admission; there was no operative mortality and survival was 100% at one year.