[Aneurysm of the celiac trunk. Etiopathogenic role of the arcuate ligament].

INTRODUCTION

Aneurysms of arteries supplying the digestive tract are uncommon and usually asymptomatic.

CLINICAL REPORT: A 58-year-old woman presented weight-loss with intestinal angina and a painful abdomen. Explorations induced an arteriogram of the aorta and the digestive arteries which showed an aneurysm of the celiac trunk located immediately below a stenosis facing the arcuate ligament.

DISCUSSION: The discovery of an aneurysm of the celiac trunk in a patient without any history of hypertension or artheromatous disease led us to implicate the arcuate ligament as the causal agent. Radiography and histology findings favored this hypothesis.