HPHT conditions pose unique challenges for brittle fracture and fatigue. A case study of a pressurized cylinder with a longitudinal, semi-elliptical crack is presented. Stress intensity factor (SIF) solution examples for this configuration are shown as being from either (a) closed-form equations, (b) FEA used to explicitly simulate a crack, or (c) from crack growth software in this case study. Ultimately, an analyst can use FEA to account for surface-breaking cracks in geometry that may not be represented as one of the API or other closed-form solutions. Subsequent to the SIF computations, fatigue life and brittle fracture conditions can be predicted.