Surgical Treatment of Extracranial Internal Carotid Artery Pseudoaneurysm in an Infant Due to Falling from Height: An Unusual Case

Pseudoaneurysms of the internal carotid artery (ICA) caused by non-penetrating trauma are extremely rare. Patients with ICA pseudoaneurysms may present with cerebral ischemia, cervical masses, neck swelling, hematoma, rupture, pain, or cranial nerve dysfunction. We present a case of a left ICA pseudoaneurysm that developed in a 7-month-old infant because of a fall from height. The patient developed left-sided neck swelling that caused severe airway obstruction and respiratory arrest. The patient was urgently intubated and underwent emergency surgery under general anesthesia to repair the defect in the left ICA. Primary repair was performed to treat the pseudoaneurysms. The pseudoaneurysm sac was not removed because it was complicated and had extended into the respiratory tract. The patient was extubated on the 2nd day and discharged on the 7th day without complications. Follow-up of the patient after two weeks was unremarkable. Extracranial ICA pseudoaneurysms should be identified in patients presenting with blunt trauma. Emergency surgery should be considered for patients with progressive pseudoaneurysms.