giant pseudoaneurysm associated with arteriovenous fistula of the brachial and femoral arteries following gunshot wounds: report of two cases

Abstract

Posttraumatic pseudoaneurysm associated with arteriovenous fistula of the upper or lower limb is exceptional. We are reporting herein the history of two cases in civil life that have been followed and repaired in our service. Both patients were shot more than a year before being referred to our tertiary hospital for an enlarging mass which was a pseudoaneurysm associated with an arteriovenous fistula. The aneurysm was repaired and the fistula closed. Due to the absence of well-trained professionals, vascular injuries and their complications are usually discovered late in Cameroon while these pseudoaneurysms can reach very dramatic sizes. This presentation intends to raise the attention on a careful clinical exam and search of vascular lesion in the case of penetrating wound of the limb associated with profuse bleeding.