[Pseudoaneurysm in the radial artery after catheterization].

Eleven days after surgery to remove an olfactory groove meningioma, a woman developed a pulsatile swelling and localized elevation of temperature in the radial artery catheterized to monitor arterial pressure. Pseudoaneurysm of the radial artery was diagnosed and the patient was returned to the operating room for ligation and biopsy of the vessel under regional anesthesia. Her condition worsened in spite of the resection and 48 hours after repair of the arterial pseudoaneurysm she was admitted to the intensive care unit with septic shock. Radial artery catheterization is a safe, frequently performed procedure but it is not free of risk. The most common complication is thrombosis. Much more rare are pseudoaneurysms, lesions that are observed late after catheterization (7-40 days) and are associated with vessel wall alterations, repeated puncture attempts, and catheter infection. The usual therapeutic approach involves surgical resection and ligature of the vessel, although other measures have been suggested.