Rupture of an abdominal visceral aneurysm rarely occurs, especially that of submucosal gastric artery microaneurysm. Here we report such very rare case, which may be the 4th report in Japan, together with a review of the literature.
A 63-year-old man complained of hematoemesis. From preoperative examination, bleeding from a submucosal tumor was suspected, and distal subtotal gastrectomy including the tumor was carried out. Histological sections showed rupture of a submucosal gastric artery microaneurysm and arteriosclerosis appeared to be the cause of the aneurysm. In this case preoperative angiography was neglected. We emphasize the significance of preoperative angiography in patients who have gastrointestinal bleeding of unknown etiology and stable general status preoperatively.