Endovascular repair of acute innominate artery injury due to blunt trauma.

The utility of endovascular techniques has expanded greatly over the past decade. Physicians now have choices regarding the treatment of many injuries that have traditionally required open surgical repair. Technological advances in materials as well as improved training and expertise among practitioners has led to increased availability of endovascular procedures that can often provide an effective and less invasive means of management. The following case report describes the successful treatment of a traumatic blunt injury to the innominate artery using endovascular techniques. Also provided is a review of the physical and radiographic findings associated with innominate artery rupture as well as a discussion on the diagnosis and treatment of such an injury. Isolated injuries of the innominate artery are exceedingly rare, and very little has been published about the endovascular repair of this specific injury. An extensive MEDLINE search was conducted to investigate whether or not endovascular repair of this particular injury had yet been described, and we found no published reports in the American medical literature. Although the technical aspects of this case are not particularly unique this case report demonstrates yet another successful application of endovascular intervention in the acute setting of blunt injury.