Facial Artery Pseudoaneurysm in a Child Diagnosed with Point-of-Care Ultrasound

Abstract

This case describes a 3-year-old boy who was brought to the pediatric emergency department for evaluation of facial swelling. The patient's history was remarkable for a deep facial laceration 5 days prior that required surgical repair in the operating room. On the day of presentation, he was noted to have mild swelling and tenderness to palpation of the left jaw below the mandible, in the same location as his recent laceration repair. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) revealed a pseudoaneurysm with an arterial feeding vessel. This was confirmed by radiology-performed ultrasound, and the patient underwent a coil embolization procedure. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a pseudoaneurysm being diagnosed by POCUS in a pediatric patient. This case demonstrates the utility of POCUS in facilitating the timely recognition of vascular mass lesions and guiding management in the emergency department to avoid complications.