Internal carotid artery rupture during endovascular thrombectomy in patients with tandem occlusion: a two-case report

Abstract

Endovascular thrombectomy in patients with tandem occlusions can rarely result in the rupture of the internal carotid artery, leading to subarachnoid haemorrhage and death. However, this complication and its causes are rarely reported and discussed in the literature. We describe two cases of internal carotid artery rupture during endovascular thrombectomy in patients with tandem occlusion. It is hypothesised that the primary approach to the distal lesion, before recanalization, creates a blind alley that faces an intraluminal pressure increase upon manual contrast injection, surpassing the vessel's resistance and resulting in arterial wall rupture. To prevent this complication, approaches such as treating the proximal occlusion first, injecting the contrast through a microcatheter or retracting the endovascular support catheter proximally to the stenosis of the cervical internal carotid artery have been suggested and are discussed.