The groin hit: complications of intravenous drug abuse

We are seeing an increased number of complications in intravenous drug abusers who resort to injecting the groin for vascular access (the "groin hit"). Vascular complications include venous thrombosis, arteriovenous fistula, mycotic aneurysm, ruptured pseudoaneurysm, and dissecting hematoma. Soft tissue complications include cellulitis and abscess. The latter may dissect into the extraperitoneal space. Skeletal complications include osteomyelitis and septic arthritis. This paper illustrates the radiographic spectrum of these complications. An algorithm will illustrate the radiographic evaluation of a groin mass in a drug addict.