A rare case of traumatic laceration of intracranial vertebral artery in absence of pathologies and directed traumas to the head

Abstract

We present a rare case of death of a young healthy man, due to massive cerebral haemorrhage from the breaking of the intracanical vertebral artery, followed to a scuffle in which there were not produced directed traumas of such violence to explain the laceration of the vessel with a direct bruising mechanism. A very thorough study of the case allowed us to exclude structural weaknesses of the part of the interested artery and obliged to assume a mechanism of abnormal mobilization of the head by traumatic origin that determined an abnormal stretching of the vessel with consequent laceration of the same one with lethal outcome. We presented the intravitam cerebrovascular imaging study and the post-mortal MRI examination and one possible reconstruction of the dynamic. Only the combined use of many radiological and histopathological techniques can assumed complex aetiopathogenetic mechanisms in the genesis of intracranical vascular injuries, excluding predisposing natural factors.