Blunt Traumatic Carotid Dissection in a Near-Hanging Victim: Comparative Description of Findings Between Doppler Ultrasound, Computerized Tomography Angiography, and Intraoperative Angiography

A 27-year-old male with a history of psychiatric treatment and drug abuse was brought to the hospital after a suicide attempt by hanging. Due to his stable condition and no neurological deficits, a computerized tomography angiography (CT-Angio) was performed and revealed a circumferential intimal disruption of the distal left common carotid artery (CCA), compatible with a blunt traumatic carotid dissection (Amussat’s sign). Doppler ultrasound (DUS) confirmed a dissection with high peak systolic velocity (PSV) of 278 cm/s. Based on these dynamic imaging findings, an endovascular approach for repair was chosen, and a dual-mesh carotid stent was successfully deployed. The postoperative course was uneventful. At 6-month follow-up, the patient remains neurologically asymptomatic with a patent stent. This case highlights the importance of clinical suspicion for blunt traumatic carotid dissections and supports the utility of DUS in both diagnosis and follow-up.