[Post traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the external carotid]. / Pseudo-anévrisme post traumatique de la carotide externe.

Pseudoaneurysm is due to a disruption in the arterial wall, secondary to inflammation, trauma or iatrogenic causes such as surgery, percutaneous biopsy or drainage. We report the case of a 37-year old patient, presenting with cervical swelling that had progressively evolved after penetrating cervical trauma occurred 8 months before. Doppler ultrasound supplemented by CT angiography confirmed the diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm of the left external carotid artery. The considerable development of sectional imaging techniques and of angiography has allowed easier diagnosis.

Forme rare du dysraphisme spinal fermé: la diastématomyélie: A rare form of closed spinal dysraphism: diastematomyelia.

Diastematomyelia is a rare spinal dysraphism in which the spinal cord and its content are split. Two types of diastematomyelia have been described. We report the case of a 12 year old male patient presenting with reduced lower limb muscle strength without associated sphincteric disorders. The patient underwent axial, sagittal and coronal T1 and T2-weighted MRI sequence of the spine. MRI showed a bifid appearance of the bone marrow of thoracolumbar vertebrae in two hemi-cords without bone spur separating the two hemi-marrows, compatible with type 1 diastematomyelia. It was associated with low tethered spinal cord with syringomyelic cavity involving the left hemi-marrow and with biloculated fibrotic lesion at the level of the right hemi-marrow compatible with a neuroenteric cyst. MRI also showed incomplete closure of the posterior arch of D12 vertebra which communicated with a subcutaneous pocket in relation to a dermal sinus. Diastematomyelia is a rare abnormality of the spine which can be associated with other malformations. Therapeutic strategy essentially depends on the progression of the clinical signs (neurological) and of associated malformations.