Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury with Delayed Ischemic Stroke - A Case Report with Discussion on Diagnosis and Management

Blunt cerebrovascular injury(BCVI) can cause devastating morbidity and mortality. The problem with BCVI is that most physicians and health workers are not aware of this condition. It can present with periods of a varying time frame of about 12 to 36 hours or as late as 1 week after trauma. This may result in the complacent attitude of health workers that all is well given the initial normal finding in CT. This article aims at highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, to prevent and halt the progression of the injury into stroke and its resultant morbid consequences. This case report is that of a young male patient who came to the casualty with a history of assault and neck injury. He was hemodynamically stable and was managed with suturing of the wound. Initial imaging did not reveal any vessel injury, but he developed a stroke 36 hours later. A brief commentary on causes, presentation, early diagnosis, and management is described.