Completely Externalized Radial Artery-Fed Pseudoaneurysm with Associated Skin Erosion: A Case Report

A pseudoaneurysm occurs when there is a disruption in the arterial wall, leading to blood extravasation that is locally contained. Various conditions or events can result in this disruption such as trauma, infection, or iatrogenic injury. If hemostasis is incomplete, a fibrous capsule forms over time, encapsulating the extravasated blood. While pseudoaneurysms can develop in any vascular bed, they are commonly associated with femoral artery access as a well-recognized complication, whereas their occurrence after radial artery access is less frequent. Even rarer is the erosion of the skin by the pseudoaneurysm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported in medical literature of a completely externalized, non-ruptured pseudoaneurysm extending from a radial artery as detected by duplex ultrasound examination. The patient underwent treatment involving interposition vein graft repair of the excised pseudoaneurysm.