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CASE REPORT
Very late rupture of a post-traumatic abdominal aortic pseudoaneurysm
  1. Haneen Abed1,
  2. William Robert Ball2,
  3. Timothy Stone3,
  4. Andrew Houghton4
  1. 1Keele University School of Medicine, Staffordshire, UK
  2. 2Department of General Surgery, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK
  3. 3Department of Radiology, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK
  4. 4Department of Vascular Surgery, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, UK
  1. Correspondence to Haneen Abed, hskabed{at}gmail.com

Summary

Post-traumatic abdominal aortic pseudoaneurysms remain a rare yet severe complication of aortic injuries and may present many years later. Clinical presentations vary, from the traditional aneurysmal symptoms of abdominal and/or back pain with or without a pulsatile mass, to a fatal rupture. We present the case of a man aged 42 years, with a history of blunt abdominal trauma 14 years ago, presenting with symptoms of non-specific lower abdominal pain and a recent history of straining due to constipation. Clinical examination revealed umbilical bruising, in keeping with Cullen's sign, and extensive postsacral bruising. This case highlights some of the atypical manifestations of aneurysmal rupture and the importance of early recognition and management.

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Footnotes

  • Contributors HA drafted the manuscript, WRB reviewed and revised the manuscript, TS reviewed the manuscript and provided the radiology figures and AH critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. All the authors saw and approved the final version.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.