Repair of internal carotid aneurysm under local anaesthesia. Case report

Aneurysms of the extracranial carotid arteries are unusual events but cause death or a cerebrovascular accident in the majority of cases (50-70%). This report describes a true internal carotid artery aneurysm that developed within six weeks. The aneurysm was resected and the artery repaired by the use of a graft from the internal jugular vein. Carotid cross-clamping time was 93 minutes. The operation was performed under local anaesthesia, with continuous clinical monitoring of the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere function.