title: Occipital Artery Pseudoaneurysm After Posterior Fossa Craniotomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pseudoaneurysms of scalp arteries have been reported in rare cases after iatrogenic injury; however, they are far more commonly seen after traumatic injuries. They are usually associated with the superficial temporal artery; however, there have been a few reports of psuedoaneurysms of the occipital artery (OA).
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a unique case of an OA pseudoaneurysm presenting with delayed postoperative hemorrhage after a retrosigmoid craniotomy. The pseudoaneurysm was treated by coil embolization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The patient recovered fully after endovascular embolization. Other treatment options for pseudoaneurysms of facial, temporal, and scalp arteries include surgical clipping/trapping with excision, Hunterian ligation, or direct compression. Pseudoaneurysms of extracranial scalp arteries are rare and most often caused by traumatic compression of the artery against a bony ridge. Despite their rarity, pseudoaneurysms secondary to iatrogenic injury to extracranial arteries should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients presenting with delayed incisional pain, redness, and swelling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Visish M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Karas
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Anish N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Jared S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Fridley
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. Electronic address: shankarg@bcm.edu.
authors.forename: Shankar P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Gopinath
mesh_terms: D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D002539:Cerebral Arterial Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000098:blood supply; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Aneurysm; Coiling; Craniotomy; Embolization; Endovascular; Pseudoaneurysm; Trauma