Abstract

A case of a pseudoaneurysm of the thyrocervical trunk after a pocketknife stab wound to zone I of the neck is reported. The patient was evaluated and treated in an emergency department with irrigation of the wound, bandage, and oral antibiotics. A large pseudoaneurysm slowly developed over the next 2 months. When the patient arrived at our hospital, he was immediately admitted and arteriograms were obtained. Arteriograms revealed an active leak of blood into a pseudoaneurysm from the thyrocervical trunk. Surgical treatment consisted of proximal and distal ligation of the thyrocervical trunk. This is the first case of a pseudoaneurysm developing only from the thyrocervical trunk due to a stab wound to zone I of the neck. This case and its complication serve to illustrate and emphasize the rationale for routinely imaging the great vessels after all penetrating trauma to zone I of the neck.