A Case of Brachial Artery Aneurysm in a Child

Abstract

Brachial artery aneurysms are rare in children. A 13-year-old girl was referred to our hospital with a mass on her right upper arm. A brachial artery aneurysm measuring 3×5 cm was diagnosed on CT scan, with no signs of peripheral ischemia or embolism. At the age of 12, she had a short history of crutch-assisted gait for an ankle sprain, but she had experienced no other significant trauma. There was no evidence of collagen diseases or vasculitis. Arteriography of her upper limbs showed no antegrade blood flow beyond the aneurysm, and peripheral blood flow was maintained by collateral circulation from the developed humerus circumflex artery and brachial deep artery. The operation involved aneurysmectomy without revascularization of the brachial artery. Histopathological findings of the aneurysm demonstrated disappearance of the media and destruction of the three-layer structure of the arterial wall, and was thus diagnosed as a pseudoaneurysm. Six months after surgery, there was no decrease in her right arm blood pressure, and she presented no symptoms of ischemia.