Rupture of an infected iliac artery pseudoaneurysm caused by asymptomatic gastrointestinal foreign body perforation

Abstract

We report a unique case of a ruptured iliac artery pseudoaneurysm caused by asymptomatic gastrointestinal perforation and retroperitoneal abscess formation. A 46-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department of our institution. Angiography showed a ruptured iliac artery pseudoaneurysm caused by retroperitoneal abscess formation. After endovascular repair and surgical drainage, the cause of the abscess was finally identified as a toothpick. Findings from this case show that asymptomatic gastrointestinal foreign body perforation can be a rare, but insidious, cause of an infected pseudoaneurysm. Prompt surgical intervention is sometimes necessary when treating patients with arterial pseudoaneurysm caused by a perivascular abscess.

Case report: An unusual case of small bowel bleeding and common iliac artery pseudoaneurysm caused by an unnoticed swallowed toothpick

“…We conducted a literature search on the PubMed (Medline) and Web of Science databases using the keywords “Pseudoaneurysm” and “Toothpick” on March 8, 2023, only 2 related published literatures were identified ( 10 , 11 ). Nevertheless, the case we described differs from the above-mentioned two published studies in the following aspects.…”