Endovascular Management of Right Subclavian Artery Pseudoaneurysm due to War Injury in Adolescent Patient

Avoiding peripheral nerve injury in arterial interventions

Although peripheral nerve injuries secondary to angiography and endovascular interventions are uncommon and usually not permanent, they can result in significant functional impairment. Most arteries used in access for angiography and endovascular therapies lie in close proximity to a nerve. The nerve may be injured by needle puncture, or by compression from hematoma, pseudoaneurysm, hemostasis devices, or by manual compression with incidence in literature ranging from as low as 0.04% for femoral access in a large retrospective study to 9% for brachial and axillary access. Given the increasing frequency of endovascular arterial procedures and the increasing use of nontraditional access points, it is important that the interventionalist have a working knowledge of peripheral nerve anatomy and function as it relates to relevant arterial access sites to avoid injury.

[Sudden-onset monoplegia of the upper limb due to traumatic subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm after an interval of three days from tumbling]

A 66-year-old woman was admitted to our institution with sudden-onset weakness of her left upper limb. Neurological examination revealed monoplegia and sensory loss of the limb. A brain MRI did not find evidence of an acute ischemic stroke. Her medical history revealed that she had fallen and bruised her shoulder 3 days earlier. Detailed physiological examination revealed that there was a mild subcutaneous ecchymosis with tenderness in the left shoulder. An additional contrast-enhanced chest CT scan showed a fracture of the clavicle diaphysis and a pooling contrast agent demonstrating a 60*40 mm mass near the left subclavian artery (SUB-A) which suggested a pseudoaneurysm. We determined that her symptoms were due to compression of the brachial plexus by immediate growth of a traumatic SUB-A pseudoaneurysm (TSAP) due to her earlier fall. For reduction of pressure to the brachial plexus by the TSAP and prevention of rupture, an endovascular treatment team performed endovascular internal trapping of the left SUB-A just distal to the orifice of the left vertebral artery and a cardiovascular surgeon performed percutaneous drainage of the pseudoaneurysm. After the procedure, the palsy and sensory loss of the left hand gradually improved. A TSAP could be one of the causes of sudden-onset palsy of the upper limb within a few days after a fall.