Blunt internal carotid artery injury associated with facial fractures

Blunt carotid artery injury is a rare but potentially life-threatening injury that can occur in association with facial fractures. Its diagnosis is often delayed or confused with closed head injury, which is more often related to facial injuries. Because of this, proper management of blunt carotid artery injury is also delayed, often resulting in permanent neurological deficits. We reported two cases of blunt carotid artery injury secondary to facial fractures and described the mechanisms of how this damage may occur in relation to these injuries. Experience from these two cases and from those reported in literature suggests that close attention should be paid to the neurological status of patients with maxillofacial fractures to detect blunt carotid artery injury before the damage becomes irreversible.