Blunt injury to the common iliac artery

Objectives and design: iliac artery lesion after blunt trauma is uncommon, with only 12 previously reported cases. We report nine patients treated in two French teaching hospitals over a six-year period. Mechanism, symptomato logy, treatment and outcome were analysed. Material and Methods: all patients were male with a mean (range) age of 29 (16-43) years. Median delay to operative repair was 15 days. Through an ext raperitoneal approach PTFE grafts were used in five cases and autogenous gr aft in four. Results: morbidity was 22%. Reoperation was necessary in two cases at a mea n follow-up of 48 months, at which time all patients were asymptomatic with normal pulses. Conclusion: clinicians should be alert to the possibility of this injury. A n arteriography for Doppler ultrasound should be performed. Treatment is ma inly surgical and produces excellent long-term results.