ASSOCIATION OF AETIOLOGY, PRESENTATION AND POST-OPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS OF POST-TRAUMATIC PERIPHERAL ARTERY PSEUDOANEURYSM

Abstract

Objective: To describe post traumatic pseudoaneurysms and its association to causes, presentation and conventional surgical treatment modalities.

Material and Methods: This Descriptive study carried out in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from January 2003 to December 2007. Patients with associated arteriovenous fistula were excluded from this study. All the demographics including age, sex, type of injury, site, associated complications operative details, peri operative morbidity and mortality were prospectively recorded in a data base.

Results: The total number of patients was seventy five. All the patients underwent conventional surgical procedures. Reverse saphenous graft was received by 34%, 24% had end to end anastomosis, 12% had interposition synthetic graft, 8% had rent repair while 21.33% had primary ligation of the involved artery. There was no peri operative mortality. Six patients had post operative complication in the form of graft, thrombosis and or infection. Three patients had amputation, two in lower limb and one in the upper limb. Majority of them were male 90.66%. Age ranged from 7 years to 75 years. Most of the patients (77.3%) were in second to fourth decade of life. The most common cause of injury was gunshot wound (56%) followed by stab wounds (13.33%) and road traffic accidents (12%). Few cases of bomb blast (6.66%), Post cardiac catheterization (4%), glass injury (4%) and intravenous drug abusers (2.66%) were also reported. The commonest site of injury was femoral artery (37.33%).

Conclusion: In this study majority of patients were male with gunshot wound as commonest cause. Reverse saphenous vein graft was treatment of choice. Infection and thrombosis were the commonest postoperative complications.