Spontaneously Ruptured Carotid Artery of Undetermined Etiology

Abstract

A 66-year-old man developed severe airway obstruction, right hemothorax, and hemorrhagic shock due to spontaneous rupture of a normal-appearing right common carotid artery. Surgery disclosed a sharp, 1-cm vertical rupture in the anterior wall of the right common carotid artery, 1.5 cm proximal to the carotid bifurcation. Otherwise the artery appeared normal. A biopsy was done around the perforated vessel, and the defect was closed with a patch graft taken from the right external carotid artery. The patient had an uneventful recovery. Subsequent clinical and laboratory studies gave no clue to the cause of the rupture. We believe this to be a case of a spontaneous rupture of undetermined cause in a normal carotid artery.

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