Cervical internal carotid artery injuries due to blunt trauma

Blunt or nonpenetrating trauma to the head and neck occasionally results in damage to the cervical segment of the internal carotid artery. This may produce neurologic signs and symptoms that mimic acute craniocerebral injury. The mortality and morbidity associated with these injuries are alarmingly high. These injuries may be missed if one relies only on computed tomography. Angiography is still the definitive procedure to diagnose these lesions. The clinical and radiographic features as well as the pathogenesis and mechanism of injury are discussed for 21 cases of injury to the cervical internal carotid artery due to blunt trauma.