Upper Extremity Arterial Aneurysms: Correlation of Clinical, Ultrasound, and Operative Findings

Upper extremity arterial aneurysm is an unusual finding, characterized by a pulsatile mass and sometimes complicated by embolism or rupture. Color duplex is the definitive imaging modality to identify, measure, and demonstrate the aneurysm’s relationship to adjacent structures. Ultrasound data are used in part to determine management options and to conduct post-intervention surveillance. A review of archived “teaching files” was undertaken to locate patients with upper extremity arterial aneurysms. Data related to initial ultrasound findings, intervention planning, operative procedures, and surveillance were gathered. A focused literature search was conducted to support the collated material. Identifying patient information was culled from each case dataset.