Doctors remove 'hidden killer' spleen aneurysm

Doctors from Renji Hospital have announced the success of removing a large splenic artery aneurysm through minimally invasive procedure, the hospital said on Thursday.

The 51-year-old female patient found the aneurysm during a health checkup two weeks ago. She went to different hospitals for treatment to remove the aneurysm while keeping her spleen.

She finally went to Dr Xue Guanhua at Renji Hospital. Doctors found the aneurysm was 6 centimeters in diameter and at serious risk of rupturing. Such a rupture would be fatal.

Doctors designed a surgery plan and treated the problem while keeping spleen function within the two-hour procedure.

“Splenic artery aneurysm is a hidden killer, which has no symptoms. In case of rupture, the patient can die immediately,” Xue said. “With the prevalence of ultrasonic and CT scan, the detection of splenic artery aneurysm is improving.”