Endovascular repair of iliac artery injury complicating lumbar disc surgery

Vascular injury as a complication of disc surgery was first reported in 1945 by Linton and White. It is a rare but potentially fatal complication. The high mortality rate (40-100%) is attributed to a combination of rapid blood loss and the failure to recognise the cause of the deteriorating patient. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential. Treatment has traditionally been by open vascular surgical repair, however with modern imaging and endovascular techniques, minimally invasive treatment should be considered first line in patients who are stable. We present the case of a 51-year-old woman who sustained common iliac artery injury during lumbar spinal surgery that was treated successfully using a covered stent.