Successful coil embolization for spontaneous arterial rupture in association with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV: Report of a case

When a patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) presents with a vascular emergency, performing life-saving surgery can be difficult because of the profound fragility of the arterial tissue. We report the case of a 27-year-old woman with EDS in whom a spontaneous arterial rupture was successfully treated with transcatheter embolization. The patient was brought to our hospital in shock, with left lower abdominal pain. She had been diagnosed with EDS type IV following a colonic rupture 8 years earlier. An emergency angiogram revealed rupture of the left external iliac artery. The active bleeding was managed by transarterial embolization of the ruptured artery using stainless steel coils, which took 30 min to achieve. The patient has not suffered any further vascular complications during the year since this procedure. Transcatheter coil embolization may be a reliable option for treating sudden arterial rupture in patients with this syndrome.