Superficial Femoral Artery Pseudoaneurysm Following Blast Injury in a Child: A Case Report

Abstract

Background: Pseudoaneurysms are vascular abnormalities due to disruption of the arterial wall. Pseudoaneurysm of the superficial femoral artery following bomb-blast injury is extremely rare. We report a case of 9-year-old girl who presented with one-month history of painful progressive swelling in the left thigh with previous history of improvised explosive device trauma. Doppler ultrasound scan confirmed the diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm of the superficial femoral artery and the patient had an uneventful surgical repair. High index of suspicion following penetrating trauma of the limb and Doppler ultrasound (US) scan are important for accurate diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm. Prompt treatment is also warranted to prevent life threatening complications such as rupture and thromboembolism. The classical findings of ‘ying-yang’ sign on colour Doppler US and ‘to and fro’ spectral waveform on pulse Doppler US for diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm were demonstrated.