During a four-year period, three patients with major vascular complications as a direct result of an orthopaedic operation were treated. These traumatic vascular injuries consisted in an arteriovenous fistula between the right common iliac artery and vein following intervertebral disc surgery, a false aneurysm of the right popliteal artery secondary to a medial meniscectomy, and a huge false aneurysm of the left common femoral artery complicating a hip-pinning procedure.
This experience demonstrated that there is usually a long delay in the recognition of these lesions. Early diagnosis through close observation and immediate repair of the traumatized vessels will make the repair relatively simple and less risky.