To evaluate long-term results of patients with visceral artery aneurysms undergoing endovascular treatment. Introduction Visceral artery aneursms (VAA) are uncommon but a potentially lifethreatening condition (1). VAA are increasingly found by incidence before complications occur (2). Managment of VAA remains challenging depending on the symptoms, location, morphology, and patients clinical condition. Current concepts include surveillance and endovascular or surgical treatment. There are no clear recommandations concerning treatment indication in asymptomatic VAA and little is known about the long-term results of endovascular treatment (3). This retrospective...

Local databases of our university medical center were searched for patients with visceral artery aneurysms (VAA) reaching back 20 years. 33 patients (men 21, women 12; mean age 67 years) with 42 VAA were identified. Retrospective analysis was performed evaluating aneurysm size after endovascular or simple surveillance without any treatment. Follow-up was performed by CT or ultrasound.

Overall, 10 of 33 patients underwent endovascular treatment encompassing spiral embolization (n=9) or covered stentgraft placement (n=1) for aneurysms of the celiac trunk (n=1), hepatic (n=4), splenic (n=4), or gastroduodenal artery (n=1). Mean aneurysm diameter was 30 +/- 15 mm in interventionally treated patients. Aneurysms which were only followed by surveillance had a mean diameter of 10 +/- 5 mm. Initial technical success rate of endovascular therapy was 100%. The mean follow-up period was 38 months (range 3-108 months). After splenic artery embolization postembolization-syndrome occurred...

Discussion There is strong evidence that symtomatic and pseudo-VAA are to be treated irrespectivly aneurysm size (8, 9). There exist different treatment indications for asymtomatic aneurysms to avoid complications e.g. rupture, thrombosis, and embolism. Some authors advise treatment when aneurysma size exceeds 2-3 times the diameter of the normal arterial vessel (4). Other authors recommend treatment for VAA ≧2 cm in size with exceptions concerning hepatic and splenic artery aneurysm (5, 6). Regular controls for VAA <2 cm are suggested because rapid increase in size...

1. Stanley JC, Wakefield TW, Graham LM, et al. Clincal importance and management of splanchnic artery aneurysms. J Vasc Surg 1986;3:836-40 2. Carr SC, Pearce WH, Vogelzang RL, et al. Current managementof visceral artery aneurysms. Surgery 1996;120:627-34 3. Cochennec F, Riga CV, Allaire E, et al. Contemporary management of splanchnic and renal artery aneurysms: Results of Endovascular Compared with Open Surgery from Two European Vascular Centers. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2011; 42:340-346 4. Carr. Visceral artery aneurysm rupture. Journal of Vascular Surgery (2001) vol....

Dr. med. Alexander Massmann (Alexander.Massmann (ätt) uks. eu) Dr. med. Kerstin Obst-Gleditsch Prof. Dr. med. Reinhard Kubale Prof. Dr. med. Marcus Katoh Dr. med. Roushanak Shayesteh-Kheslat PD Dr. med. Günther Schneider Prof. Dr. med. Arno Bücker Saarland University Hospital Department for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology 66421 Homburg Germany