Adventitial cystic disease of the axillary artery

Adventitial cystic disease (ACD) is an extremely rare cause of arterial and venous insufficiency, with only 317 reported cases in the world literature. These lesions have been previously described in the popliteal fossa, external iliac artery, and distal brachial, radial, and ulnar arteries as well as in the proximal saphenous vein at the ankle. We describe here the first reported case of this disease in a proximal vessel, the axillary artery. A 33-year-old man was evaluated for upper extremity arterial insufficiency and was diagnosed with ACD on the basis of physical examination and radiographic findings, which was confirmed by pathological assessment. The patient was treated by excision of the lesion and interposition vein bypass. As this represents the first case of ACD in the proximal vasculature, it demonstrates that these lesions can occur in axial blood vessels.