Endovascular treatment for traumatic injuries of the peripheral arteries following blunt trauma.
OBJECTIVE
The continued advances in imaging and stent/stent-graft technology have considerably expanded the indications for endovascular approach also in vascular trauma. We report our institutional experience with endovascular treatment of peripheral arterial injuries after blunt trauma.


METHODS
Between January 2000 and June 2006 out of a series of 81 patients, 10 male patients (mean age of 50+/-14 years) with peripheral arterial injuries were managed endovascularly. At admission, haemorrhagic shock was present in three patients. Artery location involved common femoral (n=2), subclavian (n=2), axillary (n=2), external iliac (n=2), superficial femoral (n=1), and popliteal (n=1). Type of lesion was as follows: pseudoaneurysm (n=4), dissection (n=4), expanding haematoma (n=1), and arterio-venous fistula (n=1). Follow-up program included visit and duplex-ultrasonography, X-rays and/or spiral-computed tomography at 6-month interval during the first year, and yearly thereafter.


RESULTS
The lesion was excluded in all cases. All patients survived. Major complications did not occur. Mean hospitalisation was 13 days. Limb-salvage was 100%. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 60 months (mean 16); a late occlusion of a popliteal stent-graft was managed with another endovascular procedure.


CONCLUSIONS
In our experience, endovascular treatment of vascular injuries after blunt trauma was feasible and effective.
Piffaretti
Gabriele
G
Vascular Surgery-Department of Surgery, University of Insubria-Varese, Italy. gabriele.piffaretti@tiscali.it
Tozzi
Matteo
M
Lomazzi
Chiara
C
Rivolta
Nicola
N
Caronno
Roberto
R
Laganà
Domenico
D
Carrafiello
Gianpaolo
G
Castelli
Patrizio
P
D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries / Q000293:injuries*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000628:therapy*