[Pseudoaneurysm of the extracranial internal carotid artery. Treatment by stent and coil implantation].

Pseudoaneurysms of the extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) can be caused by external injury or may be due to spontaneous dissection. Pseudoaneurysms bear an increased risk of arterio-arterial embolism. Treatment of pseudoaneurysms is influenced by the location and the type of injury, associated injuries, collaterals to the ipsilateral hemisphere, neurological signs and symptoms, growth of the lesion and patient age. Potential treatment regimen include conservative and medical approaches with anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy, extra-intracranial bypass, resection of the pseudoaneurysm with vessel reconstruction, ligation or endovascular balloon occlusion of the ICA. Pseudoaneurysms of the ICA adjacent to the skull base require a major surgical procedure. If there are contra-indications for vessel occlusion conservative or medical treatment used to be the only therapeutic alternatives. We report the treatment of two patients with extracranial ICA pseudoaneurysms after blunt injury with stent placement (in one case combined with coil embolization) as a further treatment option.