Giant true Brachial Artery Aneurysm after Hemodialysis Fistula Closure in a Renal Transplant Patient

Abstract

The usual manifestation of brachial artery aneurysms is the incidental finding of a swelling of the arm, combined with paresthesia or pain in some cases. The etiology is often traumatic or secondary to drug abuse. Pathophysiology of brachial artery dilation in these cases is not completely clear. We herein describe a case of a 61-year-old male presenting with a giant, painful, pulsatile mass on his left arm. He was submitted to a cadaveric kidney transplant in 2005. He had a functioning arteriovenous fistula (AVF) on his right arm, and a spontaneously thrombosed radiocephalic AVF on his left arm. The aneurysm was surgically resected, sparing the median nerve that was totally entrapped and an inverted segment of the basilic vein interposed. At the follow-up, the patient did not present neurological or ischemic disturbs, and the vein graft maintained its patency.