Posterior tibial artery pseudoaneurysm following tibial fracture. A case report

The presence of distal pulses is often times misleading and the severity of the fracture roentgenographically is frequently unrelated to the possibility of a vascular injury. Pseudoaneurysms following long bone injuries, although not as commonly seen in blunt as in penetrating trauma, are potentially limb threatening injuries requiring a high index of suspicion and the liberal use of angiography for early diagnosis and repair. A case of a pseudoaneurysm of the posterior tibial artery associated with a grade I open fracture following blunt trauma and a review of the literature concerning arterial injury in blunt trauma are presented.