Lost and Found: Retained Needle Causing Deep Femoral Artery Pseudo-aneurysm

A 39 year old female intravenous drug abuser was admitted with fever, severe groin pain, and a semi-flexed left hip. Four months previously, a needle broke while she was injecting cocaine into her groin. Computed tomography angiography demonstrated a large (8.2 × 7.6 cm) partially thrombosed pseudo-aneurysm of the left deep femoral artery (A, B) with a needle inside the aneurysm (arrows). During open surgery, the needle stuck in the thrombus was removed and deep femoral artery sutured from within the aneurysm sac. Despite the sterile tissue culture, vancomycin was administered for two weeks. The post-operative course was uneventful.Image 1