Endovascular treatment of anterior tibial artery pseudoaneurysm following locking compression plating of the tibia

Less invasive surgery and interventional radiology are relatively new techniques. This case report describes a patient with a distal tibial fracture that was stabilized using minimally invasive osteosynthesis consisting of a precontoured metaphyseal Locking Compression Plate (LCP). Postoperative radiographs showed good alignment of the bone, and the initial postoperative course was uneventful. At the sixth-week follow-up visit after surgery, the patient presented with a pulsating and tender mass on the lower leg that was palpable subcutaneously. Arteriography showed a pseudoaneurysm of the anterior tibial artery. At the same procedure an endovascular stent was placed, thereby excluding the pseudoaneurysm from the main circulation while keeping the vessel lumen patent. At the time of the last visit, 6 months after the operation, the patient was fully weightbearing with normal function of the ankle but with a nonhealing fracture on the x-ray. The dorsalis pedis pulse was equally strong as on the right side. Endovascular treatment with a covered stent proved to be an effective treatment for the described posttraumatic pseudoaneurysm of the anterior tibial artery. This case illustrates a risk of less invasive fracture surgery and at the same time underlines the value of a multidisciplinary approach to complications in trauma surgery.