Enlarging splenic vein aneurysm associated with stagnation of splenic venous blood flow.

We report a case of splenic vein aneurysm (SVA) that was enlarged during a 17-month follow-up. A 62-yr-old female with liver cirrhosis was followed up in our hospital. Real-time ultrasonography initially detected aechoic space at the middle part of the splenic vein, confirmed as SVA by contrast-enhanced computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and angiography. Magnetic resonance imaging showed the stagnation of blood flow in SVA, which suggests the presence of hypertension in the portal venous system. Moreover, SVA enlarged in parallel with the development of esophageal varices. These observations suggest that the persistent stagnation of blood flow in the portal venous system may have played a major role in the increase in size of the SVA in this case.