A false traumatic aneurysm of the superficial temporal artery: case report and literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Pseudoaneurysms or false aneurysms originating from superficial temporal artery (STA) are rare and often seen as facial swellings. These forms of aneurysms often involve the intimal and media layers of the arterial wall. So far only single cases have been reported at various locations across the world since 1644. We report another unique case of traumatic STA pseudoaneurysms. Case Presentation: We present a 51-year-old man with a 1-year history of a pulsatile mass on the left forehead. He suffered a blunt trauma at the temporal region of the left forehead a year prior. Computed tomography angiography confirmed left STA pseudoaneurysms. The lesion was total resected via surgery. We reconstructed parent artery after resecting the pseudoaneurysm. The patient recovered well with an overall good cosmetic look. Conclusions: It is very necessary to report the occurrences of STA pseudoaneurysms because the swelling could be mistaken for other lesions leading to inappropriate treatment especially in facilities with no modern radiologic modalities.