False Aneurysm of the Superficial Temporal Artery Following Blunt Trauma

AA Waitzman, PC Neligan, JW Butany. False aneurysm of the superficial temporal artery following blunt trauma. Can J Plast Surg 1994;2(4):179-180. Aneurysms of the superficial temporal artery are uncommon. Motor vehicle accidents and assaults are the most frequent etiologies. There are, however, several cases reported following sports related trauma. The aneurysm is usually detected two to six weeks after injury. The diagnosis is made from clinical examination, aided in certain circumstances by radiological investigations. Treatment is primarily surgical, embolization being reserved for inaccessible aneurysms. A case is presented of a false aneurysm of the superficial temporal artery following a kickboxing injury. The diagnosis in this case was made clinically. Excision of the aneurysmal cavity after ligation of the afferent and efferent vessels was curative.