Vol.21 No.4

Case Report

A case of lupus-associated pancreatitis with ruptured pseudoaneurysms

Authors

Tomohiro Koga1 , Taiichiro Miyashita1 , Megumi Koga1 , Yasumori Izumi1 , Shinya Onizuka2 , Hikaru Fujioka2 , Shinsuke Fujiwara3 , Chikaaki Nakamichi3 , Kazuaki Nakashima4 , Kiyoshi Migita5

  • Department of Rheumatology and General Internal Medicine, NHO National Nagasaki Medical Center, Kubara 2-1001-1, Omura Nagasaki, 856-8562, Japan
  • Department of Surgery, NHO National Nagasaki Medical Center, Kubara 2-1001-1, Omura Nagasaki, 856-8562, Japan
  • Department of Emergency Medicine, NHO National Nagasaki Medical Center, Kubara 2-1001-1, Omura Nagasaki, 856-8562, Japan
  • Department of Radiology, NHO National Nagasaki Medical Center, Kubara 2-1001-1, Omura Nagasaki, 856-8562, Japan
  • Clinical Research Center, NHO National Nagasaki Medical Center, Kubara 2-1001-1, Omura Nagasaki, 856-8562, Japan
Received:

21 July 2010

Accepted:

6 January 2011

Published online:

11 February 2011

Full Text

PDF　(member's only)

Abstract

Pancreatitis is a relatively rare complication in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Herein we report a case of SLE with the initial development of acute pancreatitis, subsequently complicated by bleeding pseudoaneurysms. A 55-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital for the treatment of SLE. During the course of treatment, she complained of upper abdominal pain. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed that the pancreas was diffusely enlarged, and she was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Her pancreatitis was resistant to glucocorticoid therapy and was subsequently associated with pancreatic pseudocysts and recurrent rupture of the pseudoaneurysms. After surgical drainage of the hemorrhagic pseudocysts, the patient’s clinical condition gradually improved with intensive therapies. Our case indicates that lupus pancreatitis can be associated with the potentially fatal complication of recurrent bleeding of pseudoaneurysms.

Key words

Pancreatitis - Pseudoaneurysms - Surgical drainage - Systemic lupus erythematosus