“A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse” – Saddle thrombosis of carotid bifurcation in acute stroke

Background

Saddle thrombosis is less frequently detected in carotid arteries than in peripheral arterial embolism. The clot and the distal vessel patency have to be promptly recognized in these cases, because if the carotid vessel is open distally, chances may arise for successful emergent surgical procedures to remove the thrombus. At conventional static imaging, mobile floating thrombi may be difficult to differentiate from thrombosis on carotid complicated lesions of atherosclerotic origin. High-resolution ultrasound (US), with its unique capability of real-time imaging, adds fundamental data for interpretation of the findings.

Methods

Carotid ultrasound has been performed in acute stroke patients with high-resolution probes. Real-time clips are analyzed and imaging is presented.

Results

Saddle carotid bifurcation thrombosis of cardiac origin has been identified in 2 patients with acute homolateral ischemic stroke, with prompt successful surgical removal in one case. Moreover, an example of a thrombus attached on the ruptured surface of a complicated atherosclerotic plaque in an acute symptomatic stroke patient that was successfully operated in emergency is presented.

Conclusions

Early high-resolution ultrasound with real-time imaging can easily identify peculiar characteristics of carotid vulnerable diseases in acute stroke phase. Different clinical implications result from the early identification of these different conditions, modifying the therapeutical strategies.