Femoral Artery Pseudoaneurysm from Heterotopic Ossification after Fixation of Intertrochanteric Hip Fracture: A Case Report

Introduction: Intertrochanteric (IT) hip fractures are increasing in prevalence due to a rise in the aging population. Cephalomedullary nailing is one of the treatment options and is becoming a treatment of choice worldwide. Complications after a hip fracture have been extensively studied and widely published. Despite numerous publications, we report a unique complication not previously seen in literature.

Case report: This case demonstrates the rare phenomenon of proximal femur heterotopic ossification (HO) after cephalomedullary nailing of an IT femur fracture causing a femoral artery pseudoaneurysm.

Conclusion: Proximal femoral HO is a rare phenomenon after cephalomedullary nailing that, in this case, presented a serious complication requiring combined surgical intervention from both vascular surgery and orthopedic surgery teams. As far as the authors know, this is the only such incident in the literature.