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Internal carotid artery thrombosis following soft palate injuries: A case report and review of 16 cases
Author(s) -
Hengerer Arthur S.,
Degroot Terry R.,
Rivers Robert J.,
Pettee Daniel S.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-198412000-00007
Subject(s) - medicine , thrombus , internal carotid artery , surgery , blunt , thrombosis , occlusion , soft palate , angiography , radiology
Sixteen cases with soft palate lacerations and neurologic sequelae secondary to internal carotid artery injury are presented and reviewed. In all 16 cases, it is probable that blunt trauma to the internal carotid artery produced an intimal tear causing an intraluminal thrombus to form. Within 48 hours of injury all patients demonstrated varying degrees of neurologic deficit with 5 deaths. This article recommends the following treatment protocol for these cases: 1 . admission for 48 hours observation; 2 . early ultrasound or angiography at first sign of neurologic changes; 3 . immediate anticoagulation if internal carotid artery occlusion is discovered; 4. surgery is usually inappropriate as the thrombus presents in the inaccessible skull base or may embolize during attempted removal. The present case represents the result of this formulated treatment protocol.