Common Carotid Artery Occlusion With Retrograde Flow in the Internal Carotid Artery

Abstract

In most cases of common carotid artery (CCA) occlusion, the internal carotid artery (ICA) is also occluded. This case presents a patient with a patent ICA distal to a thrombotic CCA occlusion, likely secondary to cardiac embolization related to chronic atrial fibrillation, with retrograde filling of the extracranial ICA via intracranial collateral flows.