Distal pancreatectomy for spontaneous rupture of the splenic artery.

Two patients with haemoperitoneum due to spontaneous haemorrhage near the tail of the pancreas are described. One patient presented acutely with epigastric pain and was found to be bleeding from the main trunk of the splenic artery. The other presented with a prolonged history of epigastric pain culminating in a haematemesis and was found to have a partially organized haematoma in the tail of the pancreas. In both cases the bleeding was proximal to the splenic pedicle, and distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was necessary to achieve haemostasis.