Traumatic thrombosis of the internal carotid artery in the neck

aspects of head injuries, referred to damage to the internal carotid artery, which might be injured either in the neck or within the skull in connexion with fractures of the base. Trauma to the internal carotid artery in the neck can produce thrombosis or embolism, and this may result in ischaemia or infarction affecting the corresponding cerebral hemisphere. Cases of this nature may be caused by a direct penetrating wound involving the artery in the neck, but also may be associated with an injury which has not breached the skin of the neck. The clinical importance of this syndrome is that the effects of the carotid artery obstruction may be falsely attributed to direct injury to the brain or spinal cord. We present here three cases of this type i