Traumatic pseudoaneurysm arising from the anterior superficial temporal artery in an infant.

INTRODUCTION

Pseudoaneurysm arising from the superficial temporal artery (STA) is an uncommon sequela of head and facial trauma. This entity is very rare in the pediatric population. The conventional treatment is surgical excision.

CASE REPORT: A 13-month-old boy presented with a progressively enlarging subcutaneous mass in the left forehead that appeared 1 week after indoor minor head trauma. The mass was hard and prominently expansile and was more than 5 cm in the largest dimension. The mass did not have audible bruit and was not diminished by manual compression of the proximal STA. Cranial computed tomography (CT) did not reveal intracranial hemorrhage or skull fracture in association with the head trauma. CT angiography showed a large aneurysm arising from the anterior branch of the left STA.

RESULT: En bloc extirpation of the aneurysm was performed. Histological examination of the excised specimen showed findings consistent with pseudoaneurysm.

CONCLUSION

In addition to careful observation for a sufficiently long period after the head trauma, neurosurgeons should be aware of the need to start treatment before a traumatic pseudoaneurysm reaches a significant size.