Emergency Evaluation and Treatment of Injury to the Extracranial Carotid and Vertebral Arteries

Abstract

This article describes the evaluation and treatment of injuries to the carotid and vertebral arteries. The diagnosis of the injured vessels by clinical and imaging methods is described. A variety of treatments including the use of stents is given. KEYWORDS:Trauma, vertebral artery, carotid artery rotid injury of 1.11% among patients admitted with blunt trauma. Another study 21 identified 67 patients with 87 blunt carotid injuries over a period of 11 years, for a rate of 0.67% where motor vehicle collision was the mechanism of injury and a rate of 0.33% for other blunt trauma. Prall and colleagues 16 found an incidence of 3.5% when carotid arteriography was performed in patients undergoing aortogram for blunt traumatic injury. The corresponding reported incidence of vertebral artery injury due to blunt trauma is 0. 77%. 11,20 Downloaded by: Collections and Technical Services Department. Copyrighted material.