Surgical Treatment of Inadvertent Internal Carotid Artery Lesion by Extraintracranial High-flow Bypass. A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Abstract Internal carotid artery (ICA) injury following transsphenoidal surgery is a rare but potentially fatal complication. Usually, endovascular occlusion of the ICA or stent graft placement is the treatment of these vascular complications described in literature. We present a case of ICA perforation during transsphenoidal surgery in a patient with limited collateral cerebral blood flow and with ectasia of the ICA that rule out an endovascular treatment. We report the surgical revascularization via high-flow extra-intracranial radial artery bypass and consicutive artery ligation.

Keywords

• internal carotid artery injury
• extraintracranial bypass
• transsphenoidal surgery
• pituitary surgery