Extensive Erosion of Vertebral Bodies Due to a Chronic Contained Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

This report describes a case of chronically ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm contained within the lumbar vertebral bodies that presented with dull abdominal pain. Sudden, massive hemorrhage is an uncommon, yet well-known complication of an untreated abdominal aortic aneurysm. In addition, misleading clinical and radiological findings present difficult diagnostic challenges in such cases. This report emphasizes the findings obtained with multidetector computed tomography and delineates the differentiation of this condition from similar pathologies.