False aneurysm of the anterior tibial artery following total knee arthroplasty.

We report a case of false aneurysm involving a branch of the anterior tibial artery following total knee arthroplasty, which presented as an enlarging swelling over the antero-lateral aspect of the leg. False aneurysms are a rare complication of total knee replacement and most of those that do occur arise from the popliteal artery. The swelling was investigated and diagnosed as a false aneurysm and the patient underwent successful percutaneous embolisation of the feeding vessel. This is currently the preferred treatment for small false aneurysms. This procedure, carried out under local anaesthesia, has a low rate of complications and avoids further surgical exploration.