%0 Case Reports
%T Cirsoid aneurysm rupture of the splenic artery as a rare cause of fatal hemoperitoneum.
%A Gentile G
%A Galante N
%A Del Gobbo A
%A Lazzaro A
%A Tambuzzi S
%A Zoja R
%J J Forensic Leg Med
%V 79
%N 0
%D Apr 2021
%M 33636647
%F 1.691
%R 10.1016/j.jflm.2021.102134
%X Cirsoid aneurysms are rare arteriovenous malformations without any capillaries interposed and almost always observed in the scalp region. These types of aneurysms are so-called "cirsoid" because of their serpiginous appearance. In this report, the authors present the first case of a lethal spontaneous rupture of a cirsoid aneurysm of the splenic artery, which could be diagnosed only by post-mortem histologic examination. The victim was a 70-year-old man who was suddenly found dead in bed while he was hospitalized and waiting for a scheduled cardiac surgery. A forensic autopsy was ordered due to the suspicion that the man's death could have been related to medical malpractice. An accurate autopsy and a complete forensic histologic examination could clarify the cause of death, which was identified in the spontaneous rupture of a cirsoid aneurysm of the splenic artery. The case is intended to be used as source data for similar forensic cases, where the cause of a massive hemoperitoneum is difficult to be identified.