Traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the superficial temporal artery: two cases and review of the literature.

Abstract

Aneurysms of the facial vasculature have been reported since the mid-seventeenth century from a variety of accidental, violent, and surgical injuries. Of the 386 cases of facial aneurysm reported in the world literature, 327 involve the superficial temporal artery. The nomenclature is somewhat confusing, because pseudoaneurysms are often referred to as simply "aneurysms" in the literature. Given that superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysms might be seen in the guise of a cyst or lipoma, it is imperative that the dermatologist be aware of their presentation. To date, there have been 7 cases reported in the dermatologic literature. We report 2 additional cases of traumatic superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm and review the dermatologic literature.