PSEUDOANEURYSMS OF THE SUPERIOR GLUTEAL ARTERY. A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Introduction. Aneurysms, either true or false, of the superior and inferior gluteal artery are very rare and most of the cases that are seen are related to traumatic injury to the pelvis or stab wounds in the gluteal region. Case report. A 70-year-old male who had had a persistent fistula in the right-hand gluteal region for six months following the drainage of a gluteal abscess. Magnetic resonance imaging showed the existence of an aneurysm in the right internal iliac artery. With this diagnosis, the patient was referred to our Angiology and Vascular Surgery Service, where a pseudoaneurysm was detected in the right superior gluteal artery by means of computerised tomographic angiography (CT-angiography). During the arteriographic study it was decided that endovascular treatment with selective intraarterial embolisation of the superior gluteal artery should be carried out in order to achieve thrombosis-exclusion of the aneurysm. Thrombosis of the pseudoaneurysm was observed in the follow-up CT-angiography carried out at three months and the follow-up CT-angiography study performed at nine months showed that it had got smaller. Conclusions. The incidence, presenting symptoms and surgical strategy of this infrequent pathology are discussed and the current literature on the subject is reviewed.