The splenic artery is the third most common site of abdominal aneurysms, only preceded by aortic and iliac aneurysms. The real prevalence is unknown but autopsy studies have described a prevalence of 0.01 % to 10.4 % , and these aneurysms have been found in 0.78 % of angiograms. Splenic artery aneurysms occur in 7.1 % of patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension. Atherosclerosis is rarely the primary cause, which is usually the result of degeneration of the middle arterial layer.
Splenic artery aneurysm was first described in 1776 by Beussier and in pregnant women by Corson in 1869. Rupture of a splenic aneurysm occurs in 3 % to 9 % of cases, but half of these ruptures occur during pregnancy. The maternal mortality rate is 70 % and fetal mortality can be as high as 90 % . The highest number of complications occurs during the third trimester (69 % ).