Surgical Management and Clinical Outcomes of Extracranial Carotid Artery Pseudoaneurysms

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Extracranial carotid artery (CA) pseudoaneurysms are uncommon and can cause embolic stroke, compressive symptoms, or (rarely) can rupture. It is of paramount importance to treat this entity to avoid life-threatening complications. In this study, the authors described a cohort of patients that required open surgical repair. METHODS: This article reported the authors’ experience with open surgical repair of extracranial CA pseudoaneurysms by presenting a retrospective review of data at their institution from 2016 to 2022. RESULTS: Of 8 patients that underwent open repair, 6 were male and 8 were female. The most common etiology was traumatic (penetrating trauma in 4 patients, iatrogenic injury in 2, and blunt trauma in 1) and 1 was infective. All patients presented with a neck mass, and 5 had compressive symptoms. Primary repair was performed in 4 patients, interposition graft using an autologous vein in 2, and patch repair in 2. None of the patients experienced perioperative mortality or stroke; nor did they develop any complications over a median follow-up period of 30 months. CONCLUSION: This report demonstrated that large-size extracranial pseudoaneurysms, whether traumatic or infective etiology, can be safely repaired using an open surgical approach.