Aneurysms of the hepatic artery and its major branches are uncommon lesions, and most of the patients have died of their complications. Therapeutic considerations have been the subject of several recent reviews.2,3,5,6 Certainly, fewer than 25 successful operative procedures on hepatic artery aneurysms have been reported to date. The etiology of this lesion has been attributed to arteriosclerosis in most cases, and less frequently to trauma, sometimes vague in historical terms. The purpose of this case report is to illustrate another etiologic mechanism in the pathogenesis of this lesion: medial degeneration of the hepatic arterial wall.
Report of a Case
The patient, aged 51 years, was first admitted to the North Carolina Memorial Hospital with a 10 year history of diverticulosis and intermittent episodes of acute inflammation. Six years prior to admission, an intra-abdominal abscess due to perforation of an inflamed diverticulum was drained. There was no history