True aneurysm of the profunda femoris artery. Literature review, differential diagnosis, management.

Aneurysms of the profunda femoris artery rarely occur as isolated lesions. Those cases appearing in the literature generally include only false aneurysms, the result of blunt, penetrating, or high velocity trauma. From a thorough review of the literature, true, aneurysmal dilatation of this artery, even as part of a generalized vascular degenerative process, must be considered obscure. A patient with an aneurysm of the deep femoral artery presented with an enlarging, progressively debilitating mass. The true nature of the lesion escaped definitive diagnosis even after detailed evaluation prior to surgical intervention. A review of the pathophysiologic basis of aneurysm formation strongly suggests this case may be the result of an, as yet undefined, autoimmune process.