Post-Traumatic Pseudoaneurysm of the Internal Maxillary Artery: Case Report

Pseudoaneurysm of the maxillary artery following trauma is unusual but potentially life- threatening. A pseudoaneurysm is an abnormal dilation of an artery resulting from incomplete disruption of the arterial wall leading to an expanding lesion between the damaged artery and surrounding soft tissues. The wall of the pseudoaneurysm consists of perivascular fibrous tissue. The usual mechanism of these lesions is either iatrogenic or traumatic. The appearance of a pulsating mass with bruit after trauma or recent surgery is highly suggestive of the diagnosis. Surgical treatment of pseudoaneurysm is difficult. Embolization may prove an alternative to surgery and can result in rapid recovery with minimal morbidity. In this paper we reported a 19 year-old patient with pseudoaneurysm of left internal maxillary artery resulting from maxillofacial trauma successfully treated with embolization.