Major cerebral vessels injury caused by a seatbelt shoulder strap: case report

Major cerebral arterial injury may result from penetrating or blunt trauma. In blunt trauma, clinical suspicion of such injury may not be raised, especially if the cranial CT scan is negative. We report a case of a seatbelt shoulder strap to the neck resulting in injury to three major cerebral vessels as demonstrated by cerebral angiography. Although the initial cranial CT scans were negative, a cerebral infarction ultimately developed. The patient was managed conservatively and recovered most of her functions. The importance of clinical suspicion and cerebral angiography is stressed.