[A case of common carotid artery stenosis due to hanging].

We report a case of a 50-year-old woman with traumatic dissection of the right common carotid artery secondary to attempted suicidal hanging. Initial examination showed marks of strangulation on the neck, facial edema, and multiple conjunctival petechiae accompanied by difficulty in breathing and loss of consciousness. She gradually recovered except for her left upper limb weakness. Rehabilitation, with a diagnosis of left brachial plexus injury, was started. Two years later, she occasionally felt numbness of the left upper extremity. On her second admission, a bruit was heard on the right side of her neck. Neurological examination did not reveal any change. CT scan showed atrophic changes. Angiography demonstrated approximately 80% stenosis of the right common carotid artery which was thought to be responsible for the attacks of numbness. Right carotid endarterectomy was performed. Histological findings revealed dissection of the medial layer of the arterial wall. Complaints of numbness disappeared postoperatively, and angiography showed good patency at a follow-up examination. We conclude that the stenosis of the common carotid artery was not due to atherosclerosis but due to the dissection as a result of hanging.