Summary
Carotid and vertebral artery dissections from blunt cervical trauma are uncommon injuries that in recent years are becoming increasingly recognized as a result of angiographic screening protocols in trauma patients. Traumatic carotid cavernous fistulas are even less common events, but represent the most common intracranial vascular anomaly after head injury. The present report details the unique case of a woman with no history of collagen vascular disease who developed dissections of both carotid and both vertebral arteries, as well as a direct carotid cavernous fistula, after a motor vehicle collision. Her vascular injuries resolved without need for surgical or endovascular intervention.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
C Arseni M Ghitescu A Cristecscu G Mihaila E Dragutoiu (1970) ArticleTitleTraumatic carotido-cavernous fistulas. Psychiatr Neurol Neurochir 73 237–242 Occurrence Handle5478767
DL Barrow RH Spector IF Braun JA Landman SC Tindall GT Tindall (1985) ArticleTitleClassification and treatment of spontaneous carotid-cavernous sinus fistulas. J Neurosurg 62 248–256 Occurrence Handle3968564
J Bellot R Gherardi J Poirier P Lacour G Debrun J Barbizet (1985) ArticleTitleFibromuscular dysplasia of cervico-cephalic arteries with multiple dissections and a carotid cavernous fistula. Stroke 16 255–261 Occurrence Handle3975964
WL Biffl EE Moore JP Elliott C Ray PJ Offner RJ Franciose KE Brega JM Burch (2000) ArticleTitleThe devastating potential of blunt vertebral artery injuries. Ann Surg 231 672–681 Occurrence Handle10.1097/00000658-200005000-00007 Occurrence Handle10767788
WL Biffl EE Moore RK Ryu PJ Offner Z Novak DM Coldwell RJ Franciose JM Burch (1998) ArticleTitleThe unrecognized epidemic of blunt carotid arterial injuries: early diagnosis improves neurologic outcome. Ann Surg 228 462–470 Occurrence Handle10.1097/00000658-199810000-00003 Occurrence Handle9790336
JM De Campos MO Ferro JA Burzaco JR Boixados (1982) ArticleTitleSpontaneous carotid-cavernous fistula in osteogenesis imperfecta. J Neurosurg 56 590–593 Occurrence Handle7062132
SR Eachampati MW Sebastian RL Reed SuffixII (1998) ArticleTitlePosttraumatic bilateral carotid artery and right vertebral artery dissections in a patient with fibromuscular dysplasia: case report and review of the literature. J Trauma 44 406–409 Occurrence Handle9498524
TC Fabian JH Patton MA Croce G Minard KA Kudsk FE Pritchard (1996) ArticleTitleBlunt carotid injury: importance of early diagnosis and anticoagulant therapy. Ann Surg 223 513–525 Occurrence Handle10.1097/00000658-199605000-00007 Occurrence Handle8651742
R Fox FM Pope P Narcisi AC Nicholls BE Kendall MD Hourihan DA Compston (1988) ArticleTitleSpontaneous carotid cavernous fistula in Ehlers Danlos syndrome. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 51 984–986 Occurrence Handle3204406
I Fukuda K Meguro S Matsusita O Shigeta N Oohashi Y Nakata (1989) ArticleTitleTraumatic disruption of bilateral vertebral arteries and internal carotid arteries: case report. J Trauma 29 263–266 Occurrence Handle2645414
K Goto GB Hieshima RT Higashida VV Halbach JR Bentson CM Mehringer HF Pribram (1986) ArticleTitleTreatment of direct carotid cavernous sinus fistulae: various therapeutic approaches and results in 148 cases. Acta Radiol [Suppl] 369 576–579
VV Halbach GB Hieshima RT Higashida M Reicher (1987) ArticleTitleCarotid cavernous fistulae: indications for urgent treatment. AJR Am J Roentgenol 149 587–593 Occurrence Handle3497549
VV Halbach RT Higashida GB Hieshima M Reicher D Norman TH Newton (1987) ArticleTitleDural fistulas involving the cavernous sinus: results of treatment in 30 patients. Radiology 163 437–442 Occurrence Handle3562823
DF Jimenez SR Gibbs (1997) ArticleTitleCarotid-cavernous sinus fistula in craniofacial trauma: classification and treatment. J Craniomaxillo Trauma 3 9–18
SA Mayer BS Rubin BJ Starman (1996) ArticleTitleSpontaneous multivessel cervical artery dissection in a patient with a substitution of alanine for glycine (G13A) in the alpha 1 (I) chain of type I collagen. Neurology 47 552–556 Occurrence Handle8757037
RN Nagdir LA Loevner T Ahmed G Moonis J Chalela K Slawek S Imbesi (2003) ArticleTitleSimultaneous bilateral internal carotid and vertebral artery dissection following chiropractic manipulation: case report and review of the literature. Neuroradiology 45 311–314 Occurrence Handle12692699
BM Scherman WS Tucker (1982) ArticleTitleBilateral traumatic thrombosis of the internal carotid arteries in the neck: a case report with a review of the literature. Neurosurgery 10 751–753
HC Stary AB Chandler RE Dinsmore V Fuster S Glagov W Insull SuffixJr ME Rosenfeld CJ Schwartz WD Wagner RW Wissler (1995) ArticleTitleA definition of advanced types of atherosclerotic lesions and a histological classification of atherosclerosis. A report from the Committee on Vascular Lesions of the Council on Arteriosclerosis, American Heart Association. Circulation 92 1355–1374 Occurrence Handle7648691
MW Taylor CK Senkowski (2002) ArticleTitleBilateral vertebral artery dissection after blunt cervical trauma: case report and review of the literature. J Trauma 52 1186–1188 Occurrence Handle12045651
JS Van Den Berg M Limburg LJ Kappelle G Pals F Arwert A Westerveld (1998) ArticleTitleThe role of type III collagen in spontaneous cervical arterial dissection. Ann Neurol 43 494–498 Occurrence Handle10.1002/ana.410430413 Occurrence Handle9546331
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yong, R., Heran, N. Traumatic carotid cavernous fistula with bilateral carotid artery and vertebral artery dissections. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 147, 1109–1113 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-005-0604-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-005-0604-5