A giant pseudoaneurysm of the occipital artery

BACKGROUND: Pseudoaneurysms of the occipital artery (OA) are extremely rare and can occur following head trauma or iatrogenic injury; OA anatomy seems to play a crucial role in their pathogenesis. CASE DESCRIPTION: This report describes the case of a 76-year-old patient with a giant OA pseudoaneurysm secondary to a head injury the patient had sustained 1 month earlier. After radiological confirmation via ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography angiography (CTA), the patient underwent surgery for resection of the lesion. An uneventful postoperative course with no recurrence was confirmed at 1 and 2-month follow-up visits. CONCLUSIONS: Despite their rarity, pseudoaneurysms of the OA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with an occipital pulsatile mass. Prompt management reduces the risk of a serious hemorrhage. In our case, considering the size of the lesion, surgical resection seemed to be the only reasonable option.