A 45-year-old woman who smokes is found to have a splenic artery aneurysm. It was most likely caused by:
Splenic artery aneurysms in women are almost always caused by medial dysplasia of the artery. It may be the cause of rupture in pregnancy and can be life-threatening if not treated promptly by laparotomy. Aneurysms may be caused by atherosclerosis, trauma, and pancreatitis (when complicated by pseudocyst formation). Portal hypertension is not a cause of aneurysm.
Atherosclerosis
Trauma
Medial dysplasia
Pancreatitis
Miscellaneous