Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Cureus

Abstract

Pseudoaneurysm after arthroscopic knee procedures is uncommon but clinically important because it can initially resemble routine postoperative swelling, hematoma, recurrent hemarthrosis, deep vein thrombosis, infection, or compartment syndrome. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched through July 9, 2026. The original database pathway yielded 312 records and 54 included reports representing 60 patient cases. During peer-review citation audit, three additional potentially eligible reports were identified; two full texts were retrieved and included, while one report could not be retrieved and was not used for patient-level inference. The final synthesis therefore included 56 reports and 62 patient cases. Using a mutually exclusive primary-procedure classification, meniscal procedures accounted for 25/62 cases (40.3%) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-related procedures for 19/62 (30.6%). The popliteal artery was the most frequent injured-vessel group (26/62, 41.9%), followed by medial/inferior genicular branches (9/62, 14.5%). Among 49 cases with an explicitly quantifiable interval to vascular diagnosis or recognition, the median was 14 days (range: 1-365 days); 13 cases had missing or non-quantifiable timing. Primary treatment was open vascular surgery in 30 cases, endovascular embolization/coiling in 14, ultrasound-guided thrombin injection in six, covered-stent or other endovascular repair in five, conservative observation in two, an unspecified vascular approach in four, and no definitive pseudoaneurysm-directed treatment was reported in one. Fasciotomy and other adjunctive procedures were coded separately. Final outcome categories were favorable recovery/resolution without persistent morbidity in 42 cases, persistent neurologic/functional morbidity or incomplete recovery in four, limited or short-term follow-up in 10, and no outcome reported in six. These frequencies describe published cases only and cannot estimate incidence, risk, or comparative treatment effectiveness. Recurrent or progressive postoperative symptoms, a pulsatile finding, neurologic change, or symptoms out of proportion to the expected course should prompt consideration of vascular imaging.

DOI

10.7759/cureus.116501

Publication Date

9-18-2026

Keywords

ACL reconstruction, CT angiography, doppler ultrasound, false aneurysm, genicular artery, hemarthrosis, knee arthroscopy, meniscectomy, popliteal artery, pseudoaneurysm

ISSN

2168-8184

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