The vagaries of diagnosis and management of traumatic lumbar artery pseudoaneurysm

Abstract

This report details a patient who sustained a posterior stab to a lumbar artery. The diagnosis was challenging and could have been easily missed if a high index of suspicion were not maintained. In a trauma context, this injury is missed due to focus on other concomitant injuries. We discuss the merits of computed tomography angiography (CTA) to identify the arterial blush which led to onward referral for successful catheter-directed arterial embolotherapy.