Post-traumatic Liver Pseudoaneurysms: Rare but Serious Sequela

Introduction: The liver is the most commonly injured organ after blunt abdominal trauma. Nonoperative management is the standard of care in stable individuals. Liver injuries, particularly high-grade injuries, can develop pseudoaneurysms (PSAs), which can rupture and cause life-threatening bleeding, even after hospital discharge. There is no consensus on whether patients should receive predischarge contrast computed tomography (CT) screening, or at what time interval after injury, nor which patients are at the highest risk for PSA. The purpose of this study was to identify the rates of PSA in our population and potential risk factors for their formation.

Methods: The trauma registry at our Level 1 urban trauma center was queried for patients admitted with liver injuries between 2015 and 2021. Demographic information was collected from the registry. Individual charts were then reviewed for timing of CT scans, CT findings, interventions, and complications. Liver injury grade was assessed using radiology reports or operative findings. The frequency of PSAs was then analyzed using descriptive statistics using Microsoft Excel and SPSS for odds ratio.

Results: A total of 172 patients were admitted with liver injuries during the study period. 130 patients received a CT scan diagnosing liver injury, 42 were diagnosed with liver injury intraoperatively. Of the 130 patients (59.9%) which received follow-up CT scans, six (6.5%) developed PSA, four of which being from penetrating injuries (odds ratio, 6.95).

Conclusions: This study demonstrated a low incidence of PSA consistent with the known literature. We found the majority of the PSA developed following penetrating injury. This may represent a significant indication for follow-up imaging regardless of grade. A larger study will be necessary to identify those most at risk for PSA formation and determine the best PSA screening algorithm.