[Internal carotid artery aneurisms: two cases].

Introduction: Aneurysms of the extracranial portion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) are rare (accounting for only 0.1-2% of all surgical procedures affecting the ICA, 0.4-1% of all arterial aneurysms, and 4% of all aneurysms involving peripheral arteries), but they are nonetheless clinically significant because of the high related risk of cerebral thromboembolism. Given the rarity of these lesions, it seems worthwhile to report on two extracranial ICA aneurysms, one of atherosclerotic, the other of fibrodysplastic etiology that came under our observation.

Patients And Methods: Our experience concerns just two cases, treated at the Department of Surgical and Gastroenterological Sciences of the Policlinico G.B. Rossi in Verona, presenting with very different clinical and instrumental findings, and requiring a different surgical treatment. The former underwent resection of the aneurysm and end-to-end reconstruction; in the latter, we performed a carotid transposition with internalization of the external carotid artery.

Results: Neither patient suffered from any major or minor neurological complications during or after surgery, and the follow-up confirmed a normal extracranial carotid patency.

Conclusions: Based on our, albeit limited experience and an analysis of the literature, we make a few points concerning the diagnostic approach (which differs from the case of stenosing carotid lesions), the indications and type of treatment for extracranial ICA aneurysms.