Traumatic right common femoral artery occlusion caused by blunt bicycle handlebar injury: a case report

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Traumatic femoral artery occlusion caused by blunt impact to the groin is rare; this condition is called the "motor-scooter handlebar syndrome." We herein report a case of traumatic femoral artery occlusion and performed a literature review on its diagnosis and treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: An 18-year-old man visited our hospital complaining of pain and swelling in his right groin and numbness in his right leg after a bicycle collision accident. Contrast computed tomography revealed an occlusion extending from the right external iliac artery to the common femoral artery. The right ankle-brachial index (ABI) was 0.50. We performed thrombectomy and femoral artery repair with a saphenous vein patch. The postoperative course was good, and the right ABI improved to 1.05. CONCLUSIONS: Motor-scooter handlebar syndrome is a rare complication of traumatic injury. The presence of vascular injury should be considered in patients with groin or lower abdomen injuries following an impact with handlebars or similar hard objects. This injury often needs surgical treatment; therefore, prompt diagnosis is the key to successful treatment.