Wasserman Jared M, Sclafani Salvatore J A, Goldstein Nira A
Department of Otolaryngology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2006 Feb;70(2):371-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2005.07.002. Epub 2005 Aug 19.
Iatrogenic injury to the internal carotid artery (ICA) is a rare complication of pharyngeal surgery that most commonly occurs in children with an anomalous course to the internal carotid artery. Most aberrant arteries are asymptomatic. They can remain undiscovered preoperatively or be found incidentally on radiographic studies completed for an unrelated reason. Evaluation of definitive internal carotid artery injuries is well documented in the trauma literature. We present a case of a suspected intraoperative injury to the internal carotid artery during routine pharyngeal surgery. Ultimately no injury was found, however, aberrant internal carotid arteries were coincidentally discovered.
