Spontaneous rupture of the pancreaticoduodenal artery: three cases.

We report 3 cases of spontaneous rupture of pancreaticoduodenal arteries (PDA). In the first case, an aneurysm of the PDA was demonstrated with stenosis of the celiac trunk; in the second case occlusion of the hepatic artery was shown. In both cases, arterial pancreatic arcades were enlarged and blood flow was retrograde from the superior mesenteric artery. Local high intravascular pressure due to retrograde blood flow through the arterial pancreatic arcades was thought to be the cause of aneurysm development and arterial rupture which necessitated surgical intervention. The third patient presented with a mycotic aneurysm that could be treated by intra-arterial embolization. The characteristics of this rare affliction are discussed, as is the treatment which first entails percutaneous embolization.