Chronic contained ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm with a rare presentation of lower limb neuropathic claudication: a report of two cases

Abstract

Introduction and importance: A vertebral body erosion that takes place due to a chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is an especially rare vascular pathology that comprises less than 5% of all causes of vertebral body erosion. Chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysms are primarily observed in hemodynamically stable patients whose chief complaint is lower limb neuropathic pain. This entity is extremely misleading and this results in delayed management of those patients increasing the morbidity and mortality rates. Case presentation: We present the two cases of 62-year-old and 65-year-old males. Preoperative radiology for each patient showed an infrarenal aortic aneurysm with a retroperitoneal hematoma in contact with the lumbar vertebral bodies and psoas muscle. The draped aorta sign was evident in both cases. Clinical discussion: A curative surgical intervention was accomplished for both patients, respectively. This was achieved through the removal of the existing hematomas that were compressing the vertebrae in addition to the complete isolation and resection of the respective abdominal aortic aneurysms along with thorough reconstruction of the aortoiliac spindles with patent synthetic grafts to ensure the patency of the preexisting vascular axis. Conclusion: A contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is a rare occurring vascular pathology that manifests with nonspecific symptoms, such as femoral neuropathy and lower back pain proportionate to the degree of the level of erosion of the affected lumbar vertebrae. This will increase the possibility of misdiagnosis and delays in treatment. Such a life-threatening vascular emergency should be timely detected and treated to avoid its complications and patient mortality.