Journal of Emergency Practice and Trauma

Carotid artery thrombosis and cerebral infarction after multiple traumas

Document Type : Case Report

Authors

Gholamreza Faridaalaee 1
Bahman Naghipour 2
Sajjad Ahmadi 1
Seyed Hesam Rahmani 3

1 Emergency Medicine Department, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran

2 Department of Anesthesiology, Madani Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

3 Emergency Medicine Department, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran

https://doi.org/10.15171/jept.2016.01
Abstract
Carotid artery thrombosis and concomitant brain infarction after blunt trauma are rare conditions. We report a 34-year-old woman with multiple traumas due to pedestrian car accident. At the time of initial visiting, she was somnolent and her Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score was 14. Initial vital signs (V/S) and brain computed tomography (CT) scan were normal. One day after admission to the emergency observation unit, GCS improved to 15 but right-sided hemiparesis occurred. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed brain infarction and Doppler sonography indicated internal carotid artery thrombosis. She was admitted in the Neurosurgery ward and underwent anticoagulant therapy. With appropriate treatment, the patient’s condition improved after 5 days of admission and she was discharged on oral warfarin treatment and close follow up. Although there is no ideal treatment for traumatic internal carotid artery thrombosis, it seems that in most cases anticoagulation therapy is the preferred method of treatment but in some patients surgical or endovascular revascularization is indicated.

Keywords

Trauma
brain
infarction
Accidents
Subjects
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Journal of Emergency Practice and Trauma
Volume 3, Issue 2
July 2017
Pages 68-70

  • Receive Date 18 November 2015
  • Revise Date 06 December 2015
  • Accept Date 18 December 2015

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