Primary Dissecting Aneurysm of the Hepatic Artery

Although aneurysms of abdominal arteries other than the aorta are uncommon, two main types do occur, namely, the saccular and the dissecting. Saccular aneurysms may be congenital or secondary to acquired disease such as atherosclerosis, bacterial infection, or trauma. Dissecting aneurysms of abdominal arteries may be either secondary or primary. Secondary dissecting aneurysms of these vessels are complications of the relatively common dissecting aneurysm of the aorta. In contrast, a primary dissecting aneurysm is a lesion beginning in and usually restricted to the involved artery.

Primary dissecting aneurysms of intra-abdominal arteries have been reported most frequently to involve the renal arteries¹ and less commonly the branches of the celiac axis including the splenic artery² and the gastric artery. To our knowledge, five cases^3-7 of primary dissecting aneurysm of the hepatic artery have been reported in the English language. The rarity of this condition prompts us to