Visceral artery aneurysms: diagnosis and percutaneous management

Visceral artery aneurysms (VAAs) and visceral artery pseudoaneurysms (VAPAs) frequently present as life-threatening emergencies. VAAs are now being diagnosed with increasing frequency, related to routine use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound. Both surgery as well as endovascular techniques are well established in their management. Endovascular management includes transarterial deployment of coils, N-butyl cyanoacrylate, or stent grafts. Direct percutaneous embolization of visceral aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms may also be performed. Special attention to aneurysmal etiology-congenital, atherosclerotic, infectious, and inflammatory is outlined. Advances in endovascular management with various aneurysmal isolation techniques are discussed. It is concluded that percutaneous endovascular management, now offers a safe and effective alternative to conventional surgery with lower procedural morbidity and mortality and high technical success rates.