In the 1974′-*s, studies identified that the most common pathophysiologic mechanism is an intimal tear with subsequent thrombosis. While the symptoms are generally those of carotid insufficiency, a diagnosis of cervical carotid trauma is seldom made clinically because the entity is confused with intracranial injury [2, 6]. Several laboratory tests and imaging studies are frequently selleck compound required in the emergency room for the evaluation of trauma. However, imaging exams to identify cervical vessel lesions are not performed routinely during initial trauma care. Angiography is considered the

‘gold standard’ exam for the identification of vascular lesions. The duplex scan has 86% sensitivity, but is limited in its ability to identify carotid artery lesions near the base of the skull. Angiotomography is sensitive enough to identify general anatomical SB202190 concentration lesions, and it could also be useful for identifying vascular lesions. During

initial trauma assessment, computerized tomography is a common diagnostic method [1, 2, 5, 7, 8]. Magnetic resonance angiography has the ability to produce images of the neck and head simultaneously and to detect early cerebral infarction without the use of contrast [1, 5, 8, 9]. In the 1990′s, studies using angiography as a diagnostic method in populations at risk for BCVI demonstrated that these lesions are rare, corresponding to 1% of all blunt traumas admitted to hospital. Due to limited experience with BCVI in trauma centers, standardized diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to these injuries have not been established. Furthermore, the current approach to BCVI classification has not been unanimously accepted. These limitations have restricted the development of a practical, safe, and universal approach to handling BCVI cases [5].

Although BCVI treatment approaches are debated, all current modalities of treatment, whether clinical or endovascular, depend on the clinical situation, the experience of the medical team, and, above all, the exact characterization of the location and severity of the lesion using an appropriate diagnostic method. Objective To evaluate the accuracy of criteria used to recommend angiotomography mafosfamide in the diagnosis of cervical BCVI in 100 patients with blunt cervical trauma in the trauma services section of a Brazilian quaternary care hospital. Materials and methods The current study was approved by the Ethics Committee for Analysis of Research Projects – CAPPesq of the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. It is based on data obtained from medical records of patients who suffered blunt trauma and were admitted to the Emergency Department of the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HCFMUSP) from July 2006 to December 2008 using clinical and/or radiographic data that indicated a potential risk of BCVI. Inclusion criteria in the current study were designed based on eleven previously published criteria.