Iatrogenic bilocular femoral artery pseudoaneurysm in a patient with end-stage renal disease undergoing regular hemodialysis: An unexpected occurrence after a common procedure and surgical cure

Abstract

Introduction: Pseudoaneurysms of the femoral artery can develop as an uncommon complication following penetrating trauma or arterial catheterization for cardiovascular procedures or hemodialysis. It is commonly diagnosed with color duplex imaging and usually a single pseudoaneurysm is present. Case Report: We present a 62-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease who developed a very rare bilocular pseudoaneurysm of the femoral artery caused by inadvertent puncture of the artery during elective hemodialysis which remained uneventful and undiagnosed until the pseudoaneurysm was itself punctured by the dialysis catheter iatrogenically and another large connecting pseudoaneurysm was formed above the initial one. Typical unilocular pseudoaneurysm presents as Yin-Yang sign on color duplex imaging but here bidirectional turbulent flow was seen as double Yin-Yang sign suggestive of bilocular pseudoaneurysm mimicking the shape of a snowman, hence Yin-Yang Snowman sign. The patient presented with signs and symptoms of rapid progression of the pseudoaneurysm resulting in femoral nerve compression with compromised skin viability. Therefore, surgical management was planned and the bilocular pseudoaneurysms were excised with repair of the femoral artery and then covered with vascularized rectus femoris muscle flap. Conclusion: An arterial pseudoaneurysm should be included in the differential diagnosis for a groin mass after femoral catheterization or other vascular procedures. A non-invasive imaging approach using color flow duplex sonography can be used with confidence and safety. But in complicated cases or cases with impending complications, surgical exploration and excision remains the mainstay of treatment.