Rupture of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Demonstrated on Tc-99m RBC Gastrointestinal Bleeding Study

Abstract

A 72-year-old woman with respiratory failure and chronic obstructive lung disease had abdominal pain and gastrointestinal bleeding. An ultrasound demonstrated an abdominal aortic aneurysm and during performance of a Tc-99m RBC gastrointestinal bleeding study, rupture of the aneurysm was observed. She was taken to the operating room where a large, contained retroperitoneal hematoma was found in association with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. This was repaired with a graft and the patient underwent colectomy for Ischemic bowel as well. The patient died the next day.