Radial artery mycotic pseudoaneurysm: an unusual complication of catheterization

Radial artery pseudoaneurysms are rare, and those that become infected are rarer still. We present the case of a patient who developed a radial artery pseudoaneurysm as a late complication of arterial catheterization. Blood cultures were positive for Staphylococcus aureus, and a pulsatile mass, with associated tissue necrosis, was palpable over the radial artery. The diagnosis was confirmed by gray-scale and color Doppler sonography, which showed a partially thrombosed pseudoaneurysm and turbulent flow in the pseudoaneurysm and native artery.