Congestive heart failure associated with chronic venous insufficiency and leg ulcers secondary to an arteriovenous fistula caused by a shotgun wound 15 years ago

32-year-old Traumatic Arteriovenous Fistula Presenting With Leg Ulcer and High-output Heart Failure

Traumatic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is not a common disorder, and dermatological signs and heart failure caused by AVF are rarely reported. We present the case of a 55-year-old woman who was referred for congestive heart failure symptoms. Echocardiography revealed preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Due to edema of the right leg with a long-standing leg ulcer and palpable femoral thrill, duplex ultrasonography was performed. It showed an AVF between the right superficial femoral artery (SFA) and the right femoral vein (FV). The patient recalled a 32-year-old gunshot injury that was not medically treated. After the diagnosis of AVF she was referred to a surgeon for an AVF ligation, with subsequent resolution of her symptoms. The differential diagnosis of leg ulcer with leg edema should include the possibility of AVF as a cause.

Acute Deep Vein Thrombosis in Venous Aneurysm following Closure of the Chronic Traumatic Arteriovenous Fistulae of the Lower Extremities

Chronic traumatic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) commonly results from an unrecognized vascular injury. In this report, there were two cases of chronic traumatic AVF of the legs with a long history of stab (case 1) and shotgun wounds (case 2). Both cases presented with varicose veins together with hyperpigmentation around the ankle of the affected leg. Angiograms showed a single large AVF in case 1, whereas, in case 2, there was a single large AVF together with multiple small AVFs. In both cases large venous aneurysm was found next to a large AVF. An open surgical AVF closure for the large AVF was performed in case 1 successfully, but patient developed acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in a large venous aneurysm. In the second case, in order to prevent DVT, only closure of the large AVF was performed, which preserved arterial flow into the venous aneurysm. Case 2 did not have acute DVT. This report raised the concern about acute DVTs in venous aneurysms following the closure of chronic traumatic AVF in terms of prevention. Also chronic traumatic AVF is commonly due to misdiagnosis in the initial treatment, so complete and serial physical examinations in penetrating vascular injury patients are of paramount importance.

Connection Between a Long-standing Traumatic Arteriovenous Fistula and Development of Aneurysmal Disease

Long-standing peripheral arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are always accompanied by ectasia of the proximal arteries. In the literature, traumatic fistulas of the lower limbs are frequently reported to be associated with iliac and even infrarenal aortic aneurysms; however, no study dealing with associated visceral aneurysms has been published. We report a case in which a traumatic AVF was accompanied by the late development of not only an infrarenal aortic aneurysm but also both superior mesenteric and right renal artery aneurysm. No causal relationship may be inferred between the tibial fistula and the other aneurysms, but this previously unreported finding does raise the question of a possible connection.