Common carotid artery pseudoaneurysm formation following foreign body ingestion

Abstract

To report an unusual case of pseudoaneurysm formation following ingestion of a thin wire. Case report, including management, and review of the world literature concerning pseudoaneurysm and its management. A 15-year-old boy presented as an emergency with a two-week history of painful swallowing, and a one-week history of a progressively enlarging, right-sided swelling of the lower neck. A foreign body had been ingested two weeks previously. Radiological investigation showed a pseudoaneurysm of the right common carotid artery. The neck was explored, the foreign body removed and the common carotid artery repaired. The patient was discharged on the 10th post-operative day without neurovascular complication. This is an unusual presentation of pseudoaneurysm of the common carotid artery following accidental ingestion of a foreign body, reported for its rarity and management.