Spontaneous intra-operative rupture of an undiagnosed internal iliac vein aneurysm during laparotomic lymph node dissection for endometrial cancer: a unique case report

Abstract

Iliac vein aneurysms are rare, but they can be associated with major surgical complications. Our case report deals with an undiagnosed internal iliac vein aneurysm that caused intra-operative major bleeding during lymphadenectomy for endometrial cancer. Surgical manipulation of the vessel, although gentle, caused rupture of the vein that proved impossible to repair and the patient died. We suggest that the etiology of vessel injuries should be investigated in more depth in situations where surgical trauma is not commensurate with vessel damage.