Traumatic cerebrovascular injury: Prevalence and risk factors

Traumatic cerebrovascular injury (TCVI) is uncommon in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although TCVI is a rare condition, this complication is serious. A missed or delayed diagnosis may lead to an unexpected life-threatening hemorrhagic event or persistent neurological deficit. The object of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with TCVI.

The authors retrospectively reviewed medical records and neuroimaging studies of 5178 patients with TBI. The association of various factors was investigated using time-to-event statistical analysis. A TCVI which resulted in an occlusion, arteriovenous fistula, pseudoaneurysm or cerebral artery transection was defined as an event.

Forty-two patients developed a TCVI after injuries with an overall prevalence of 0.8%. The risk factors for an intracranial arterial injury based on univariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard regression were penetrating injury, severe head injury, orbitofacial injury, basilar skull fracture, subdural hematoma, and cerebral contusion. In multivariable analysis, the two variables that were independently associated with TCVI were basilar skull fracture (odds ratio [OR] 22.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 11.5-42.2) followed by orbitofacial fracture (OR 13.6, 95% CI 6.8-27.3).

Although TCVI is a rare complication of TBI, early investigation in high-risk patients may be necessary for early treatment before an unexpected fatal event occurs.