Suprascapular Artery Aneurysm Secondary to Severe Shoulder Joint Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Aneurysms of the thyrocervical trunk and collateral branches are rarely encountered. Upon literature review, no documented cases of a suprascapular artery aneurysm resulting from osteoarthritis have been previously described. A 64-year-old female was found to have focal aneurysmal formation within the suprascapular artery. The extensive osteoarthritic changes to the glenoid, including medialization of her joint line, is hypothesized to have led to arterial injury and the observed aneurysm formation. Chronic mechanical stress on small vessels from abnormal bony contact in the setting of osteoarthritis can lead to aneurysmal formation. Arthritis as a cause of aneurysm formation in collateral vessels of the thyrocervical trunk has not been previously described.