Vertebral artery injury caused by glass remnants in the neck: A case report

Abstract

Vertebral artery (VA) injuries following trauma to the neck are uncommon. We treated a case of VA injury in an 82-year-old man presented to a hospital with penetrating neck injuries caused by broken glass and underwent surgery for retrieval of the pieces. After the surgery, he complained about hoarseness, computed tomography scan showed glass remnants in his neck, damaging the right VA and forming a pseudoaneurysm. Thereafter, he came to our hospital seeking treatment for the injured VA. Severe bleeding may have occurred during exploration around the pseudoaneurysm; hence, we performed interventional angiography and occluded the right VA, followed by neck surgery. Five days after embolization, we performed the surgery to remove the glasses. There was no bleeding during and after the operation, and the patient was discharged without any complication. In this case report, we discuss the management of VA injury and review the relevant medical literature. ARTICLE HISTORY