Abstract
Background: Pseudoaneurysm of the internal thoracic artery caused by blunt trauma is very rare. Case: We report a case of subcutaneously protruding psedoaneurysm of the internal thoracic artery following blunt trauma. Results: A 76-year-old man fell from a ladder. On the next day, he was admitted to a local hospital because of general discomfort. Right hemo-pneumothorax, with fracture of the pelvis and left radius were diagnosed. A protrusion from the right anterior chest wall with pain was observed and the protrusion was incised experimentally by a general surgeon 2 weeks later, whereupon arterial blood oozed out. But, the origin of bleeding could not be found. Therefore, it was compressed to achieve hemostasis. Pseudoaneurysm of the right internal thoracic artery by catheter angiography was diagnosed after another 2 weeks. Then, he was transferred to our hospital, and ligation of the right internal thoracic artery was performed immediately. He recovered, and was discharged on the 22nd day after operation. Conclusion: We reported a very rare case of subcutaneously protruding pseudoaneurysm of the internal thoracic artery following blunt trauma.
