Calcified aneurysm of the abdominal aorta 12 years after umbilical artery catheterization

We report a 12-year-old boy who presented with abdominal pain and who was found to have an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta (AAA). The patient was born from a quadruplet pregnancy induced by in vitro fertilization. Postnatal transient respiratory distress required assisted ventilation that had been monitored by two consecutive umbilical arterial catheters (UAC). AAA is a rare condition in childhood. Infection and/or trauma are known to be the most frequent causes. Most of the reported cases have occurred in children in whom a UAC had been placed during the neonatal period. In this patient the delay between UAC placement and diagnosis was considerable. At the time of this report the patient had remained well during a follow-up of 8 years after treatment.