Pseudoaneurysm of anterior tibial artery following a diaphyseal fracture of the tibia mimicking a malignant bone tumor

Pseudoaneurysms of the lower limb are rare and frequently iatrogenics complications. Closed traumas are likely to generate lesions of the arterial wall, which generally become symptomatic at a later stage. The diagnosis of such vascular lesion is difficult because the symptomatology and the onset can be delayed. We herein report the case of a 15-year-old patient in whom the diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm of the anterior tibial artery was made 5 months after a non-displaced closed fracture of the tibial shaft. The radiographs were evocative of a malignant bone tumor. The study of vessels by a contrast-enhanced CT-scan enabled us to diagnose the pseudoaneurysm. Before the occurrence of late onset swelling, a history of trauma must be sought, even old.