Constipation following bilateral internal iliac artery aneurysms

A 72-year-old man presented with constipation. he was hypertensive and suffered from chronic constipation. on arrival,the patient was fully conscious,and his vital signs were stable. he requested an enema because this treatment had proved effective in the past. on physical examination,a hard palpable mass was detected in the lower abdomen. computed tomography was performed with contrast media. it revealed an abdominal aortic aneurysm (aaa) and bilateral internal iliac artery aneurysms (iiaas); the latter obstructing the sigmoid colon. we believe that this obstruction was the cause of constipation. the patient underwent y-graft replacement for the treatment of the aaa and bilateral iiaas. the surgery was successful,and constipation has not recurred since. as constipation is the most common digestive disorder in the general population,all physicians should be aware that chronic constipation can be caused by bilateral iiaas. © 2012 morita,yamaguchi,yamagiwa,inokuchi,licensee bloomsbury qatar foundation journals.