Bilateral extracranial aneurysms of the internal carotid artery. A case report

The authors report a case study of bilateral extracranial atherosclerotic aneurysms of the internal carotid artery, discovered simultaneously in a 58 year-old man. The patient had previously undergone polyarterial surgery for a subrenal abdominal aortic aneurysm 11 years earlier. The operation was performed in two stages with a few days interval, with an identical procedure on each side: under general anesthesia, resectioning of the aneurysm, restauration of the arterial flow by an internal saphenous venous graft between the internal and common carotids, and repositioning the external carotid. The surgical follow-up was uneventful. Extracranial aneurysms of the internal carotid artery are rare, although well-documented. To be found bilaterally, as in our case, is exceptionally unusual. The seriousness and the frequency of complications from internal carotid artery aneurysms indicate that surgical treatment is warranted.