Takaharu Tsuda MD, PhD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Hiroaki Tanaka MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Megumi Takechi MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Gen Koiwahara, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Teruhito Mochizuki MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Many splenic artery aneurysms (SAAｓ) have been detected by multidetector row CT angiography in patients with chronic liver diseases since the introduction of image viewer capable of maximum intensity projection (MIP) images reconstruction in our institute. Follow up CT revealed that some SAAs showed growth. The purpose of the study was to elucidate the frequency of growing SAA in patients with chronic liver diseases.

Between November 2005 and December 2006, 422 consecutive patients (M:F=325:213) with chronic liver diseases underwent dynamic contrast enhanced CT for the purpose of assessment of liver diseases using 16-channel MDCT (LightSpeed Ultra16, GE). 16 mm-thick slab MIP images of arterial phase were generated by using image viewer (SYNAPSE and Obliquus, FUJIFILM, Tokyo) to confirm the presence of SAAs. 80 SAAs were detected in 63 patients (M:F=26:37). Among these 63 patients with SAAｓ, follow-up studies for an interval longer than one year were available for 55 SAAs in 43 patients. Seven patients had multiple SAAs. The number of SAA more than 10 mm in diameter was 17 and that of less than 10mm was 38. Mean interval of observation period was 39.7 months. We evaluated the rate and risk factors of growing SAAs. Growing SAA was defined as more than 2 mm enlargement in this study.

Eight growing SAAs were found in seven patients. Every growing SAA was saccular and more than 10mm in diameter. Thus, 47% (8/17) of SAAs more than 10 mm in diameter showed growth. On the other hand, none of SAAs less than 10 mm in diameter showed growth. Four of seven patients with multiple SAAs had growing SAA. Every patient having growing SAA was liver cirrhosis. There was a single patient which needed coil embolization therapy in this study because of fast growing.

47% of SAA more than 10 mm in diameter showed growth in patients with liver cirrhosis. Specifically, patients with multiple SAAs were likely to have growing SAA. However, frequency of fast-growing SAA which needed therapy was relatively low.

(dealing with CT angiography); In patients with chronic liver diseases, most of growing SAAs are more than 10 mm in diameter and patients with multiple SAAs may be high risk for growing SAA.

Tsuda, T, Tanaka, H, Takechi, M, Koiwahara, G, Mochizuki, T, Frequency of Growing Splenic Artery Aneurysms Detected by Multidetector Row CT Angiography in Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases.  Radiological Society of North America 2013 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, December 1 - December 6, 2013 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2013/13016489.html