Abstract
Trauma involving the cervical region can result in either blunt or penetrating injury to the cervicocerebral vessels, with attendant hemorrhagic and/or neurologic sequelae. The reported incidence of carotid or vertebral artery injury in all trauma patients is 1.2–1.6 %, with an associated risk of acute cerebral ischemia in 12–15 % of affected individuals. Blunt cervical vascular injury (BCVI) is increased in the setting of cervical spine, basilar skull, or severe facial fractures; spinal cord and traumatic brain injury; major thoracic injuries; and cervical hyperextension/rotation or hyperflexion. The vertebral artery is more commonly injured than the carotid artery because of its close proximity to bone as it runs through the intervertebral foramina. Twenty percent of BCVI patients, however, demonstrate none of these “classic” risk factors. Damage from penetrating cervical vascular injury (PCVI) trauma is less common than blunt trauma, with carotid and vertebral artery injuries accounting for only 3 % and 0.5 %, respectively, of arterial injuries in civilians.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Berne JD, Reuland KS, Villarreal DH et al (2006) Sixteen slice multi-detector computed tomographic angiography improves the accuracy of screening for blunt cerebrovascular injury. J Trauma 60:1204–1209
Biffl WL, Moore EE, Offner PJ et al (2001) Blunt carotid and vertebral arterial injuries. World J Surg 25:1036–1043
Gdynia HJ, Kuhnlein P, Ludoph AC et al (2008) Connective tissue disorders in dissections of the carotid or vertebral arteries. J Clin Neurosci 15:489–494
Munera F, Danton G, Rivas LA et al (2009) Multidetector row computed tomography in the management of penetrating neck injuries. Semin Ultrasound CT MRI 30:195–204
Biffl WL, Ray CE, Moore EE, Franciose RJ et al (2002) Treatment-related outcomes from blunt cerebrovascular injuries: importance of routine follow-up arteriography. Ann Surg 235:699–706
Seth R, Obuchowski AM, Zoarski GH (2013) Endovascular repair of traumatic cervical internal carotid artery injuries: a safe and effective treatment option. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 34(6):1219–1226
Anaya C, Munera F, Bloomer CW et al (2009) Screening multidetector computed tomographic angiography in the evaluation of blunt neck injuries: an evidence based approach. Semin Ultrasound CT MRI 30:205–214
Gardner DJ, Gosink BB, Kallman CE (1991) Internal carotid artery dissections: duplex ultrasound imaging. J Ultrasound Med 10:607–614
Montalvo BM, LeBlanq SD, Nunez DB Jr et al (1996) Color flow Doppler sonography in penetrating injuries of the neck. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 17:943–951
Provenzale JM, Sarikaya B (2009) Comparison of test performance characteristics of MRI, MR angiography, and CT angiography in the diagnosis of carotid and vertebral artery dissection: a review of the medical literature. AJR Am J Roentgenol 193(4):1167–1174
Chokshi FH, Munera F, Rivas LA et al (2011) 64-MDCT angiography of blunt vascular injuries of the neck. AJR Am J Roentgenol 196(3):W309–W315
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jensen, M.E. (2016). Imaging of Traumatic Arterial Injuries to the Cervical Vessels. In: Hodler, J., Kubik-Huch, R., von Schulthess, G. (eds) Diseases of the Brain, Head and Neck, Spine 2016-2019. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30081-8_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30081-8_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-30080-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-30081-8
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)