[Traumatic arteriovenous fistula of the deep temporal artery--a case report]

A rare case of traumatic AV fistula of the deep temporal artery is reported. The patient, a 33 years old male, struck his forehead and left temporal region in a traffic accident on March 30, 1983. He noticed the swelling at his temporal region 5 days after the accident as it became pulsative and enlarged. He was admitted on May 23 and left external carotid angiography revealed an AV fistula which was fed by the deep temporal artery and drained into the superficial temporal vein. The operation was performed on May 27 and showed that the AV fistula was not in the subcutaneous tissue, but buried in the temporal muscle. Total extirpation was performed. Postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged on June 10. Microscopic examination of the AV fistula demonstrated some traumatic findings, such as tear of the wall of vein, thrombosed artery and an aneurysm-like protrusion of the wall of the artery.