Abstract
Carotid artery pseudoaneurysm or fistula formation can occur due to spontaneous dissection, blunt or penetrating trauma, or iatrogenic injury. Most of the iatrogenic injuries in the petrous region occur during middle ear operations in patients with an aberrant internal carotid artery (ICA). Aberrant ICA is a rare anomaly that can be associated with life-threatening aural hemorrhage if inadvertently injured during middle ear surgery. Other causes of unexpected hemorrhage during or after middle ear surgery include high jugular bulb, aneurysm, and glomus tumor. The management of aberrant ICA injury has always been a challenging task because of the difficult surgical approach. With major advances in the neuroendovascular field, endovascular treatment of these lesions can be quick and effective.
We discuss here a case of endovascular management of an aberrant ICA that was probably injured during previous middle ear operations that led to pseudoaneurysm formation and ruptured subsequent to ear infection and drainage.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.