Blunt carotid arterial trauma.

Blunt injury to the carotid arteries in the neck, either by direct or indirect forces, is rare but may produce a devastating outcome with long term morbidity. Injury results in either dissection of the vessel wall or pseudoaneurysm formation. Secondary thromboembolic disease results in cerebral infarction. In a seven year period, from April 1987 to April 1994, 2024 patients with blunt injury to the head and neck were admitted to our institution. In this group eight patients (0.4%) were identified with injury to the carotid arteries, seven with dissection and one with pseudoaneurysm formation. Injury was caused by either hyperextension or lateral hyperflexion of the neck. External signs of trauma to the neck were absent in three patients. In all patients there was an associated head injury. Three suffered transient loss of consciousness and a fourth had a transient ischaemic attack 36 h after the injury. CT brain scans performed at the time of initial injury in these patients were all normal. The remaining four patients had no neurological deficit at initial presentation. In no case was injury to the carotid artery suspected. Focal neurological signs and symptoms developed in all cases following a variable latent period ranging from 4 h to 75 days. CT or MRI at this time revealed areas of cerebral infarction. Diagnosis of carotid injury was made at angiography in all cases. These lesions are treatable if diagnosed prior to the development of extensive infarction. Patients developing focal neurological signs secondary to cerebral infarction after a latent period following head and neck trauma should therefore be considered as having a vascular lesion in the neck and referred for urgent cerebral angiography.