TRAUMATIC PSEUDOANEURYSM OF THE AXILLARY ARTERY FOLLOWING ANTERIOR DISLOCATION OF THE SHOULDER - CASE-REPORT

Vascular complications are rare in cases of simple anterior dislocatio n of the shoulder but the axillary artery or its branches may be damag ed. Very few cases are found in the Literature reporting false aneurys ms of axillary artery secondary to blunt trauma to the shoulder. A cas e of pseudoaneurysm of the axillary artery in a 75-year-old woman is r eported. Diagnosis was suspected because large pectoral haematoma with haemodynamic instability appeared a few hours later after manual redu ction of the dislocation. The pseudoaneurysm was confirmed with select ive angiography of the axillary artery. Arteriography should be perfor med whenever vascular injury is suspected. Delayed recognition of thes e lesions may lead to permanent neurologic deficits despite adequate v ascular repair of the axillary artery. A coordinated vascular and orth opaedic approach and prompt surgical treatment may assure full upper l imb function. Although endovascular treatment of these lesions could s eem attractive, we prefer to use open surgical techniques because they allow us to treat frequent concomitant injuries and perform decompres sion of the axillar fossa because of the large haematoma.