ANEURYSM OF THE SPLENIC ARTERY BY P. D. BEDFORD and BRIAN LODGE

Aneurysm of the splenic artery was first reported by Beaussier (1770). This and the second case reported by Parker (1844a and b) were for many years omitted from the literature and priority mistakenly given to Crisp (1847) by all subsequent authors, possibly because he himself had also erroneously credited Parker with the description of the first case. The subject was last extensively reviewed by Owens and Coffey (1953) who found 198 cases described in the literature and added six more of their own. They mentioned an additional 12 cases, of which reports were too vague for them to include and a further 21 cases mentioned en passant in necropsy surveys, making a total altogether of 237 cases. A further 18 cases described since their review, together with seven cases of Turnbull (1915) which all previous surveys have curiously failed to include, brings the total in the world's literature to 262. The literature is largely made up of reports of a few cases derived incidentally from retrospective studies of large routine necropsy series and recorded often with little comment as rarities, or of clinical reports of either single cases or small groups of cases. This communication seeks to establish that aneurysm of the splenic artery, far from being a rarity, is on the contrary a common condition. It sets out to explain how this fallacy has probably arisen; and to propose, in the light of the new evidence adduced, a revision of some widely held and generally accepted views and beliefs regarding the aetiology and treatment of the condition. A comprehensive bibliography has been appended, including references to all previously recorded cases of aneurysm of the splenic artery.