Traumatic vertebral artery aneurysm following blunt suboccipital trauma

Traumatic vertebral artery (VA) injury has been neglected and mistaken to be innocuous. Herein, we present a rare case with a as subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) following blunt suboccipital trauma. Initially, it was mistaken as a saccular aneurysm and was just coincident with traumatic SAH. Surgical clipping was performed by our senior neurosurgeon and looked secure. But massive bleeding occurred before complete closure of the dura wound. Opening the wound again, blood gushed out from the junction of the aneurysm and the parent artery. Because preoperative angiography evaluation had revealed good collateral flow from the contralateral VA, the involved segment of VA was trapped. The patient recovered well with uneventful course. Blunt suboccipital trauma may result in traumatic VA injury which may cause catastrophic complications if neglected. The incidence, risk factors, the pathophysiology of traumatic VA aneurysm, and the treatments are reviewed.