Carotid arteriovenous fistula in the neck as a result of a facial laceration

Traumatic penetrating arteriovenous fistulas: a collective review

INTRODUCTION

Traumatic penetrating arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are very rare. The majority of these injuries occur secondary to penetrating trauma. Objectives of this study: review their incidence, clinical presentation, radiologic identification, management, complications and outcomes.

METHODS

A literature search was performed on MEDLINE Complete-Pubmed from 1829-2019. PRISMA guidelines were utilized. Of 305 potentially eligible articles, 201 articles were selected.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

patients age ≥ 18, articles with title and abstract in English, AVFs secondary to penetrating trauma, articles which specified vessels involved in AVFs, and those reporting complete information on patient presentation, diagnosis, imaging, surgical and/or endovascular surgical management, and outcomes of penetrating AVF's.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

articles reporting blunt or iatrogenic AVFs, pediatric patients, fistulas used for dialysis and their complications, articles lacking complete information, cranial/spinal AVFs or cardiac AVFs, and duplicate articles. Mechanism of injury (MOI), diagnosis, involved vessels, management and outcomes of patients with AVFs secondary to penetrating trauma were recorded.

RESULTS

There were a total of 291 patients with AVFs secondary to penetrating injuries. Mechanism of injury (MOI): stab wounds (SW)-126 (43.3%), Gunshot wounds (GSW)-94 (32.3%), miscellaneous-35 (12%), mechanism unspecified-36 (12.4%). Anatomic area: neck-69 (23.7%) patients, thorax-46 (15.8%), abdomen-87 (30%), upper and lower extremities-89 (30.6%). Most commonly involved vessels-vertebral artery-38 (13%), popliteal vein-32 (11.7%). Angiography was diagnostic-265 patients (91.1%).

INTERVENTIONS

Surgical- 202 (59.6%), Endovascular-118 (34.8%). Associated: aneurysms/pseudoaneurysms-129 (44.3%).

CONCLUSION

Most AVFs occur secondary to penetrating injuries. Stab wounds account for the majority of these injuries. Most frequently injured vessels are vertebral artery and superficial femoral vein. Surgical interventions are the most common mode of management followed by endovascular surgical techniques.

Traumatic arteriovenous fistula of the left parotid region: A case report

The formation of arteriovenous fistula beneath the parotid is relatively rare. To the best of our knowledge, the present study reports the first case of a 48-year-old man with a pulsatile mass on the left parotid region, which had been present for >3 years following penetrating wounds. Computed tomography angiography and digital subtraction angiography revealed a fistula between the left external carotid artery and the left jugular vein. The patient was successfully managed through surgical excision without embolization. Intraoperative facial nerve monitoring was employed to prevent postoperative facial paralysis. The present study briefly reviewed the current literature, illustrating the pathophysiology, symptoms, imaging studies and treatment for arteriovenous fistula in the head and neck region. To conclude, arteriovenous fistula located near the facial nerve may be successfully managed by surgical treatment, without permanent facial paralysis.

Successful treatment of posttraumatic arteriovenous malformation of the lower lip

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are most commonly reported in the brain. Head and neck AVMs are reported to occur in 0.1% of the general population. On the other hand, posttraumatic AVMs are quite rare. Traumatic AVMs are extremely rare in the head and neck and are mostly seen in the extremities. The management of such lesions may include selective embolization or surgical exploration with ligation. A 13-year-old male adolescent visited our hospital for lower lip swelling, which developed 5 years ago after a lower lip laceration. The AVM was expanded and was graded as stage II. It was fed by the mandibular branch of both facial arteries and drained to the posterior facial vein. The radiologic intervention department performed an embolization before the operation. The main operation was performed 12 days after the embolization. A well-demarcated AVM lesion was found in the oral mucosa and was totally excised under general anesthesia. The authors easily performed the operation owing to the embolization making the AVM definitely demarcated and firmly palpable. The lip closure was done carefully considering the lip contour. No sign of recurrence was seen during 6 months of follow-up. The excellent treatment result of the posttraumatic facial AVMs occurs largely because of a collaboration with the radiologic intervention department using the selective embolization.

Posttraumatic arteriovenous malformation of the face: a case report

BACKGROUND

Head and neck arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are reported to occur in 0.1% of the population. Extracranial AVMs account for only 8.1% of head and neck AVMs. Of these, traumatically acquired AVMs of the face are generally reported as quite rare. When secondary to trauma, the lesion is usually supplied by a single vessel, as compared to the multiple vessels often seen with congenital etiology.

OBJECTIVES

Understanding of regional anatomy is paramount when assessing and managing facial injuries. As an integral health care provider for the facial trauma patient, it is the responsibility of the emergency physician to recognize this rare pathologic lesion necessary to coordinate surgical management of the traumatic AVM.

CASE REPORT

We present a case report of a patient who sustained a facial laceration complicated by the development of a vascular malformation. The facial laceration in this case report highlights the complexity of wound evaluation and management when treating patients in the emergency department.

CONCLUSION

Traumatic AVMs are quite rare in the head and neck and are mostly seen in the extremities. Although rare, they have been reported after typical facial trauma as well as elective surgical procedures. The management of such lesions may include selective embolization or surgical exploration with ligation. Emergency physicians and facial trauma surgeons are challenged with recognizing and treating these rare but very real vascular lesions. It is our hope that this case report provides an overview of posttraumatic AVMs in the head and neck.