Abstract
Aortic aneurysms are usually asymptomatic until catastrophic rupture occurs. Ruptured
abdominal aortic aneurysms classically present with acute back pain, shock, and a
pulsatile abdominal mass. The natural history of some aortic aneurysms also includes
a stage of contained rupture. This occurs when extravasation of blood from the ruptured
aneurysm is contained by surrounding tissues. Here, the authors report the case of
a chronic contained abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture that resulted in erosion of
the spine.
Keywords
aortic aneurysm - rupture - contained rupture - surgery