Abdominal aorta aneurysm and colon mass: a case report

Introduction: Concomitant occurrence of abdominal aneurysm and colorectal cancer is a rare medical entity and requires a tailored treatment strategy for each patient.

Presentation of Case: A patient presented with watery stools associated with colicky abdominal pain. Abdominal CT scan showed infrarenal aortic aneurysm and sigmoid wall thickening. Colonoscopy confirmed an obstructing sigmoid mass involving 90% of the lumen. Biopsy showed tubulovillous adenoma with high grade of dysplasia.

Discussion: Presentation of colorectal cancer and abdominal aortic aneurysm is uncommon with an approximate incidence of 0.49% to 2.1%. Staged approach versus one-stage operation provides different advantages and complications including risk of aneurysm rupture, risk of infected graft and other perioperative complications. Endovascular aneurysm repair provides an alternative with minimal risk of infected graft and shorter recovery time.

Conclusion: In a patient with abdominal aortic aneurysm and sigmoid mass, the dilemma of which would be addressed first depends on the patient’s status to minimize complications.