Surgical Treatment of Kinked Carotid Arteries: A Case Report

Arteriosclerotic occlusive lesions of the brachiocephalic system were well described by Broadbent in 1875 and Penzoldt in 1881. The significance of these lesions in the production of cerebral insufficiency was later emphasized by Chiari in 1905, and Hunt in 1914.1 The most common pathological process is an occlusive atheromatous plaque at the level of the common carotid bifurcation and the surgical management of this lesion is well established. Obstruction of the extracranial portions of the carotid artery can also occur as a result kinking of these vessels. Elongation with kinking or coiling of the carotid arteries, is a frequent radiological finding in patients with clinical signs of cerebrovascular insufficiency, 20% of them showing such a vascular anomaly.₂ The natural history of this particular anomaly and the results of its surgical treatment have clearly shown the pathological significance of certains forms of kinking and coiling in the production of cerebrovascular symptoms._3,4 We wish to report a case of cerebrovascular insufficiency due to kinking of the internal carotid arteries which was successfully corrected surgically.