A 39-year-old man was admitted to the hospital due to hematemesis and melena for 2 wk, with a new episode lasting 1 d.\nTwo weeks before admission, the patient had hematemesis and melena without obvious known causes. He vomited light red fluids 4-5 times/d and passed tarry stools 3-4 times/d; these events were accompanied by epigastric pain, abdominal distension, and fatigue. He had no dizziness or syncope. He was hospitalized at a local hospital where examinations showed a hemoglobin (Hb) level of 86 g/L. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed fresh blood in the descending part of the duodenum but did not show a clear bleeding site. The patient was treated with blood transfusion, acid blockers, and intravenous (IV) fluid and discharged from the hospital after no recurrence of hematemesis or melena was observed.\nOne day before admission to our hospital, the patient vomited bright red blood once and was admitted to the local hospital. Bedside EGD showed no obvious bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. During his hospitalization, the patient had repeated hematemesis and hematochezia 4-5 times/d accompanied by left upper abdominal pain and fatigue. His minimum Hb level was 42 g/L. After treatment with blood transfusion, IV fluid, acid blockers, and hemostasis, he was transferred to our hospital for emergency admission.\nThe patient had a history of chronic pancreatitis. He denied chronic diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes, a history of abdominal surgery and trauma, and a history of food and drug allergy.\nThe patient denied a history of smoking and drinking and any history of diseases in family members.\nOn admission, the patient had a body temperature of 37.2 °C, a pulse of 102 beats/min, a respiratory rate of 19 times/min, a blood pressure of 117/91 mmHg, and an oxygen saturation of 98%. The patient had manifestations of anemia and pale conjunctiva. His abdomen was soft with upper abdominal tenderness. No rebound tenderness was noted. No abdominal mass was palpable. No other obvious abnormality was noted.\nThe complete blood count on admission was as follows: White blood cell count, 8.00 × 109/L; red blood cell count, 2.34 × 109/L; Hb, 66 g/L; hematocrit, 0.192; platelet count, 108 × 109/L; total amylase, 198 U/L; D-dimer, 6060 µg/L; hypersensitive C-reactive protein, 40.1 mg/L; procalcitonin, 0.12 ng/mL; and serum albumin, 24 g/L (Table ). Coagulation function, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, glutamyl transpeptidase, urinalysis results, stool analysis, tumor marker expression, troponin I, and electrocardiogram results were all within normal limits.\nA noncontrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis showed pancreatic swelling, uneven density, vague edges, multiple spots of calcifications, and hyperintense opacities in the pancreatic head and body, indicating chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic head hemorrhage.\nSubsequent contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen showed isointense, rounded opacities with a diameter of approximately 41 mm in the pancreatic head that were enhanced with contrast in the arterial phase and were closely related to the gastroduodenal artery, indicating pseudoaneurysm (Figure ). Furthermore, digital subtraction angiography performed via the celiac trunk showed the formation of pseudoaneurysms at the proximal gastroduodenal artery; the remaining blood vessels were unremarkable (Figure , Video 1A).
A 47-year-old male, nonsmoker with no significant medical history initially presented with sudden onset right-sided chest pain, fever, and shortness of breath. After a hemorrhagic pleural tap and chest x-ray demonstrating large retro cardiac soft tissue density, gross right pleural effusion, and right lower lobe lung collapse the patient was referred to our center with a working diagnosis of thoracic malignancy and large lung carcinoma with hemorrhagic pleural effusion.\nThe patient was admitted to our center for further workup. Immediately after, the patient experienced severe respiratory distress; oxygen saturation (SpO2) was 74% on two liters of oxygen. The patient was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) with pulse: 102 beats per minute and regular, blood pressure: 95/79 mm Hg, respiratory rate: 22/minute, temperature: 97°F, and SpO2: 100% on high-flow oxygen. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was 15/15, and on examination of the chest, there was decreased air entry on the right side. A right-sided chest drain was placed; 1300 ml of hemorrhagic fluid was drained by the end of the day. Total leukocyte count (TLC) then was 21710/mm^3. A blood and sputum culture was obtained. The sputum sample demonstrated Klebsiella pneumonia, which was managed accordingly, normalizing the counts on the days to come. Whole blood was transfused during the ICU stay as required. After three days the patient was shifted to the general ward with the drain holding 50 ml of blood and stable vital signs.\nCECT chest performed on the fifth day of admission demonstrated a large lesion involving the subcarinal region with intensely enhancing focus adjacent to right bronchus intermedius likely pseudoaneurysm with associated hematoma, collapse of basal right-lower lobe, and collection in the right pleural space (Figure ). The plan for the trucut biopsy of the lung was deferred, and a bronchial angiogram with embolization for bronchial artery pseudoaneurysm was planned. The right common femoral artery was accessed with a 5 French gauge (Fr) vascular sheath, a diagnostic angiographic catheter (Shepherd catheter 5 Fr, Cook Medical, USA) aided in cannulating the right bronchial artery. A selective angiogram revealed a pseudoaneurysm with patent distal flow (Figure ). After the introduction of the 2.1 Fr microcatheter (Artec microcatheter, Japan) the distal normal arterial lumen was reached and coiled with a 2 mm x 2 mm pushable coil (Cook Medical, USA). Similarly, a 2 mm x 2 mm pushable coil was used to trap the front door/proximal part of the right bronchial artery. Post coil embolization, angiogram after 15 minutes showed reduced flow to the sac; however, complete thrombosis was not seen (Figure ). Another permanent embolizing agent Glue mixed with lipiodol (1:7 ratio) was used to achieve complete embolization endpoint. The final angiogram revealed complete thrombosis of the pseudoaneurysm sac and the right bronchial artery (Figure ). No immediate complications were noted. Hemostasis was achieved at the groin by manual compression. After a few days, the chest tube was removed due to a minimal drain.\nFollow-up CT angiography showed coils in the subcarinal region without obvious abnormal enhancement suggestive of adequate embolization and a slight decrease in the size of hematoma at the subcarinal region. The patient was hemodynamically stable and symptomatically better, thus was discharged after one week of hospital stay. The patient was re-evaluated after three weeks by a CECT chest, which showed a significant interval decrease in the lesion at the subcarinal region, subsegmental collapse of a basal segment of the right lower lung, and a significant decrease in the pleural collection (Figure ).