{"id":"c75f1574-ba54-4c78-b1e8-fef2e92d8860","slug":"craniovertebral-junction-anomaly-with-kissing-carotids","title":"Craniovertebral junction anomaly with kissing carotids","authors":["Nitin Kumar","Jaskaran Singh Gosal","Sarbesh Tiwari","Mayank Garg","Suryanarayanan Bhaskar","Deepak Kumar Jha"],"abstract":"Background: “Kissing carotids” typically involves the lower C4-C6 retropharyngeal space. Here, we describe a case of “kissing carotids” observed at the C1-C2 level in conjunction with basilar invagination (BI). Case Description: A 34-year-old-male presented with congenital atlantoaxial dislocation and BI. The initial surgical plan was for a transoral decompression (TOD). However, this approach was abandoned when the preoperative computed tomography angiography (CTA) documented “kissing carotids” lying anteriorly at the C1-C2 level. Conclusion: Obtaining a CTA before performing a TOD for BI is essential to prevent an intraoperative catastrophic hemorrhage due to the laceration of “kissing carotids.”","thumbnailUrl":"https://sni-digital-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/c75f1574-ba54-4c78-b1e8-fef2e92d8860/featured/hero-1781563010441.png","publishDate":"2020-11-06T00:00:00.000Z","doi":"10.25259/SNI_710_2020","categories":["Spine","Image Report"],"fullTextUrl":"https://surgicalneurologyint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/10372/SNI-11-377.pdf"}