Complex regional pain syndrome after transradial cerebral intervention

Access site complications from transradial approaches for endovascular interventions are uncommon and many are preventable. Complications described in the literature include hematoma, radial artery occlusion, vasospasm, and even compartment syndrome. Mild post-procedure discomfort reported by patients is typically self-limited and managed symptomatically with oral analgesics. Pain that has no obvious structural correlate and is unresponsive to intravenous narcotics is very unusual. We describe the diagnosis and management of a case of complex regional pain syndrome of the upper extremity after transradial stent-assisted coil embolization of a cerebral aneurysm.