Late spontaneous dissection of the facial artery after facial trauma: unprecedented case report

Abstract

AbstractArterial dissections may occur spontaneously or be preceded by mild or severe trauma, resulting in immediate rupture of the vessel. Spontaneous arterial dissection is defined when the nature of the trauma is small and/or its rupture occurs late and ‘traumatically’. However, the literature has reported little about spontaneous dissection of arteries originating from the external carotid artery, and until the production of this article, there was no case report about spontaneous dissection of the facial artery. In this case, 30 days after the surgical procedure of bloody reduction in condylar and mandibular parasymphysis fractures caused by trauma, the patient returned to the emergency room with submental oedema and internal bleeding, caused by dissection of the facial artery. This is a serious condition that can lead the patient to death within a few minutes, being the correct diagnosis and an accurate approach, fundamental to the success in trying to save the patient's life.