title: A spontaneous superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm possibly related to atherosclerosis: Case report and review of literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spontaneous superficial temporal artery (STA) pseudoaneurysms are very rare; only four cases, including ours, have been reported to date. Therefore, the cause of them has not been studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 57-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a pulsatile mass in the left preauricular region. Her medical history included hypertension, dyslipidemia, and angina pectoris. She denied a history of head injury or minor head trauma. Three-dimensional computed tomography angiography showed a well-enhanced saccular aneurysm on the main trunk of the STA. To prevent rupture it was removed surgically. The histological diagnosis was pseudoaneurysm with atherosclerosis. By the 2(nd) postoperative day, she had completely recovered and was discharged home. There has been no relapse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As all four documented patients were at high risk for atherosclerosis, we posit that a causal factor was weakening of the arterial wall due to atherosclerosis and chronic pressure on the STA from anatomical structures. Here, we present histological evidence to support this hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kumamoto City Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yushin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takemoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kumamoto Red Cross Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kumamoto Red Cross Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagamine
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kumamoto Red Cross Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Daiki
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kasamo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kumamoto Red Cross Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kumamoto Red Cross Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuratsu
keywords: Pseudoaneurysm; spontaneous; superficial temporal artery