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1: Int J Legal Med. 2002 Feb;116(1):43-6.Links

Sudden death due to rupture of the arteria pancreatica magna: a complication of an immature pseudocyst in chronic pancreatitis.

Lunetta P, Penttilä A, Salovaara R, Sajantila A.

Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland. philippe.lunetta@helsinki.fi

Massive haemorrhage due to rupture of single pancreatic or peripancreatic vessels is a very rare but potentially lethal complication of acute and chronic pancreatitis. The splenic, gastroduodenal, and pancreatoduodenal arteries are the more commonly involved vessels, and rupture occurs mostly as a complication of large mature pseudocysts. We report a sudden death due to massive bleeding caused by rupture of the great pancreatic artery (arteria pancreatica magna), a complication of a small immature pseudocyst, in a 49-year-old male alcoholic with inactive chronic pancreatitis.

PMID: 11924708 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]