Traumatic aneurysm of the superficial temporal artery: case report

Traumatic superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm: Successful management using endovascular embolization

Superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysms are uncommon but can be potentially life-threatening. Considering their rarity, the present article outlines the clinical presentation, radiological findings, intervention, and outcome of traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the superficial temporal artery. An 83-year-old female sustained a traumatic injury to the temple, resulting in right-sided swelling of the forehead. Brain computed tomography and cerebral angiogram revealed a right-sided homogenously-enhancing pseudoaneurysm in the frontal region. Successful occlusion of the lesion was achieved utilizing endovascular embolization. Three months after discharge, the patient reported no complaints or recurrence. Subsequent management included reassurance and observation with periodic clinical assessments. The unusual presentation of superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysms requires clinicians to have thorough knowledge on the clinical presentation, proper steps in diagnosis, and the approach of choice in management. Endovascular embolization of superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysms remains a valid approach to achieve successful occlusion of the lesion.

Superficial Temporal Artery Pseudoaneurysm following Midface Thread-lift

Facial thread-lifting has been popular because of its ease and safety with short down time. However, many physicians perform the procedure in cosmetic clinics, which can result in several complications. This report describes the surgical treatment of iatrogenic superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm (STAP) following thread-lifting. A 27-year-old man developed a painless, pulsating soft mass in the pre-auricular region after undergoing a thread-lift in a private cosmetic clinic 3 months before being referred to the authors’ hospital. The mass was diagnosed as a STAP, using magnetic resonance imaging. The pseudoaneurysm was resected completely, and the superficial temporal artery was microsurgically reconstructed. Although there are some surgical procedures for treating STAP, such as surgical resection and embolization, the former is considered the first choice. Physicians should be trained before performing thread-lifting and must know the possibility of an iatrogenic STAP appearing after the procedure and the face and neck anatomy to prevent complications.

Management of Late Post-traumatic Facial Artery Pseudoaneurysmal Cyst: Review of Literature

Pseudoaneurysms of the branches of the external carotid artery as a result of trauma are rare in oral and maxillofacial surgery practice. The most affected branches are the superficial temporal artery, internal maxillary artery and distal part of facial artery, usually where they pass over the bone. Very few cases of facial artery pseudoaneurysms of proximal parts (from external carotid artery up to the lower border of the mandible) are reported in the literature. We present a review of literature for management of late post-traumatic pseudoaneurysmal cyst and a case report involving proximal part of facial artery in the submandibular region following open reduction and rigid fixation of the condylar fracture in a 25-year-old male. To our knowledge this is the fourth reported case of proximal facial artery pseudoaneurysm.

Traumatic arteriovenous fistula of the superficial temporal artery: a histopathologic report

Traumatic aneurysms, pseudoaneurysms, and arteriovenous (AV) fistulas of the superficial temporal artery (STA) are uncommon, accounting for only 0.5% to 2.0% of all aneurysms subjected to surgery. In the literature that relates to the STA, the general term "aneurysm following traumatic injury" often includes a wide array of pathologic entities, including proper aneurysms, pseudoaneurysms, and AV fistulas. In 75% of cases, such aneurysms are due to blunt trauma. Within this group, STA AV fistulas constitute an exceedingly rare subset. The case presents the occurrence of a traumatic AV fistula of the STA following blunt trauma (karate kick) and provides the first description of the histologic appearance of this lesion.

Postcraniotomy superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm in the setting of triple H therapy: A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Superficial temporal artery (STA) pseudoaneurysm after a craniotomy is very rare with only five cases reported in the literature, none manifesting in the setting of cerebral vasospasm treatment with triple H therapy.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 31-year-old male was admitted after a syncopal episode. Imaging documented a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm. He was taken to the operating room for aneurysm clipping, but the procedure was aborted due to intraoperative aneurysm re-rupture, at which point the patient underwent emergent coil embolization of the aneurysm. The postoperative course was complicated by severe cerebral vasospasm requiring prolonged triple H therapy. On postoperative day 22, a growing left temporal mass with a bruit was noted. The suspected diagnosis of STA pseudoaneurysm was confirmed by femoral angiography, and it was treated with coils and Onyx embolization.

CONCLUSION

We report the first case of a postcraniotomy STA pseudoaneurysm in the setting of induced hypertension for the treatment of cerebral vasospasm. Endovascular embolization is a viable option for the treatment of an STA pseudoaneurysm.

Thrombosed traumatic aneurysm of the occipital artery: a case report and review of the literature

Introduction

Occipital artery aneurysms are very rare vascular lesions. Most cases reported in the literature have been post-traumatic pseudoaneurysms of the occipital artery.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 14-year-old Caucasian boy presented with a painless non-pulsatile scalp mass that developed rapidly after minor blunt head trauma. The scalp mass was excised six months after the trauma. A pathologic diagnosis of a thrombosed true aneurysm was made. Our patient has had no recurrence of the mass at 15 months follow-up.

Conclusions

We present a case of a true aneurysm of the occipital artery following minor head trauma. We review the literature for similar cases and discuss the difficulty of establishing a diagnosis prior to surgical intervention.

Superficial temporal artery aneurysm: Diagnosis and treatment options

BACKGROUND

Superficial temporal artery (STA) aneurysms are an uncommon entity and mostly described in case studies. The purpose of this review was to show the studied clinical presentation, diagnostic modalities, and treatment modalities of STA aneurysms.

METHODS

A review was performed of reports on STA aneurysms published until December 2010, using the MEDLINE and Cochrane databases.

RESULTS

One hundred sixty-six pseudoaneurysms and 20 true aneurysms were described. The majority of patients presented with a painless pulsatile mass. Historically, angiography was most often used, but ultrasound scan, CT, and MRI may be superior. Surgical resection was performed in 128 pseudoaneurysms and 20 true aneurysms with 1 recurrence and few complications. Endovascular approaches were used in 13% of pseudoaneurysms with an 80% success rate.

CONCLUSION

Pseudoaneurysms are mostly the result of blunt trauma as opposed to true aneurysms which usually occur spontaneously. Surgical resection is a safe treatment modality, but endovascular treatment might be considered in a selected group of patients. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2013.

Degenerative (true) superficial temporal artery aneurysm: a case report with review of literature

This is a case report of a 72-year-old female who presented to our clinic with right temple mass that was found incidentally on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of her head about 2 years ago, as part of a stroke workup. However, it was thought to be a sebaceous cyst and left as such. The patient then experienced a rapid increase in the size of the mass about 2 weeks prior to her presentation to us. On examination, she had a 2 × 2 cm pulsating aneurysmal mass over the right temporal fossa, which was felt to be an aneurysm of the superficial temporal artery and was confirmed by a color duplex ultrasound examination. Open surgical resection with primary ligation of both proximal and distal branches was achieved under local anesthesia. Pathology confirmed a true (degenerative) aneurysm of the superficial temporal artery. Her postoperative course was uneventful. This case report describes this rare entity along with a review of the literature.

A rare case of spontaneous true aneurysm of the occipital artery

A 51-year-old man presented with a pulsatile scalp mass over the right occipital region, which had increased in size over the previous 1 month. He had no previous history of head trauma. Three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) angiography of the brain revealed a 3.0 x 1.5 cm occipital artery aneurysm arising from the occipital artery. The occipital artery aneurysm was removed following the ligation of the proximal and distal portion of the occipital artery aneurysm. The histological diagnosis was true aneurysm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the literature.

Posttraumatic Pseudoaneurysm of the Temporal Artery

This is a case presentation of a pediatric patient with severe head trauma resulting from a motor vehicle accident. The patient had been hospitalized for approximately two weeks prior to a request to review a pulsatile mass that had developed after trauma with sonography. Sonographic imaging showed an enlarged vessel with mixed echos throughout. The diagnosis by sonography with duplex confirmed the pulsatile lesion to be a pseudoaneurysm of the temporal artery with mural thrombus.

[False aneurysm of the superficial temporal artery: report of two cases]

INTRODUCTION

False aneurysms of the superficial temporal artery (STA) are rare and usually occur after a direct trauma to one of its branches. It is characterized by the local rupture of the artery wall. The diagnosis is made by clinical history and clinical examination. The treatment is surgery.

CASE REPORT

Two patients, a 20-year-old man and an 82-year-old man, were referred with a pulsatile mass respectively in the temporal and the frontal area having evolved for several weeks. The diagnosis was made on clinical history (history of trauma was an important clue) and clinical examination (compression of the proximal STA should reduce pulsation) and confirmed by ultrasonography. The treatment was surgical, the STA was ligated proximally and distally and the pseudoaneurysm was resected successfully.

DISCUSSION

False aneurysms can be differentiated from true aneurysms by a rupture in the arterial wall. A thorough clinical history must screen for the initial trauma often gone unnoticed. The aim of clinical and paraclinical examination is to eliminate other causes of pulsatile tumors that can be found in this area (true aneurysms of the STA or of the meningeal artery).

Percutaneous thrombin embolization of a post-traumatic superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm

Pseudoaneurysm of the superficial temporal artery is rare in children and is frequently a result of direct facial trauma. Conventional management has included surgical ligation and resection and more recently endovascular embolization to prevent complications including local pain, headache, facial disfigurement and bleeding. We report a unique case of a US-guided percutaneous thrombin injection for the treatment of a post-traumatic superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm in a child.

Traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the superficial temporal artery treated by endovascular coil embolization

We describe an exceptional case of a traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the superficial temporal artery (STA), which was treated with microcoil embolization of the anterior branch of the STA. We conclude that endovascular coil embolization can be an option of in the treatment of STA pseudoaneurysms.