Biffl et al. concluded that follow-up angiography can change the treatment in up to 61% of Degree I and II injuries [14]. selleck screening library In 2005, Cothren et al. published a prospective study and verified that patients who presented with a SAR302503 datasheet carotid pseudoaneurysm and were treated with a stent represented

21% of complications by occlusion of up to 45%. On the contrary, patients who were treated with an antithrombotic agent represented 5% of arterial occlusions. None of the asymptomatic patients had arterial obstructions with antithrombotic agents. Cothren et al. concluded that treatment with antithrombotic agents remains the best therapeutic option and that the use of stents remains controversial [15]. In 2008, Berne et al. defended the use of stents in the carotid artery as being a safe and effective initial therapy for patients with pseudoaneurysms without carotid obstruction. The incidence of morbidity up to four years was very small [16]. The ability to treat patients with improved neurological results is the desire of all trauma teams, however clinical complexities are associated with every patient. In the current study, 15 patients underwent treatment with heparin: five patients were treated with non-fractionated heparin, and 10 patients were treated with fractionated heparin. Of the three patients that died, two were the

result of brain death. Four out of the eight patients not treated with heparin died, and two were due to brain death. Two patients were observed clinically, and six patients underwent endovascular treatment. In summary, 17 patients were treated click here clinically and six patients were treated using endovascular methods. No complications occurred in patients treated clinically with heparin or in click here patients

who underwent endovascular treatment. Taken together, the results of the current study suggest that treatment decisions should be made based on the experience of the clinicians and on the clinical and neurological status of the patient. In summary, the results of this study indicate that: 1. The incidence of carotid and vertebral artery injuries in blunt trauma was 0.93%.   2. Patients with carotid and vertebral artery injuries showed higher severity indices than those without carotid and vertebral injuries, but showed similar mortality rates.   3. Based on the eleven primary criteria analyzed in the current study, a clear set of criteria for the indication of angiotomography remains to be established.   Conclusions Although there is no consensus regarding the criteria that should be used to indicate angiotomography for BCVI diagnosis in blunt trauma patients, we conclude that the criteria used in the current study led to a diagnosis of BCVI in 0.93% of 2,467 trauma patients, BCVI injuries were associated with more severe traumas and did not affect mortality. References 1. Biffl WL, Moore EE, Offner PJ, Burch JM: Blunt carotid and vertebral arterial injuries. World J Surg 2001, 25:1036–1043.CrossRefPubMed 2.