Repair of common carotid artery injury with an external carotid artery flap

Objectives: To describe a new technique to repair injuries of the common carotid artery

Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 30-year-old man sustained an iatrogenic injury to the left common carotid artery during surgical dissection of a left branchial cyst. The artery was repaired as follows: the left external carotid artery was ligated distally, its stump was longitudinally opened to create an arterial flap, which was then used to repair the defect in the common carotid artery. The patient remained free of any symptoms throughout 1 year of follow-up

Conclusion: Use of an external carotid flap provides an alternative method of repairing an injured carotid artery