Aneurysms of the distal branches of the external carotid artery

Aneurysms of the distal branches of the external carotid artery are rare an d usually traumatic in origin. We present two cases which were treated in o ur clinic. The first case is about a traumatic aneurysm of the left superfi cial temporal artery (STA) in a young boy 8 years old. The young patient de veloped a pulsatile mass above his left eyebrow ten clays after a bite by a boy of the same age. The second case is referred in a 36-year old woman wi th a pulsatile mass behind the right ear; which was an aneurysm of the post erior auricular artery. The treatment was ligation and resection under loca l anesthesia in the first case and under general anesthesia in the latter S urgeons' familiarity with this entity is important for diagnosis and treatm ent.