title: Huge internal carotid artery aneurysm presenting as tonsillar asymmetry.
abstract: Aneurysms of the extracranial portion of the carotid artery are extremely rare. Internal carotid artery aneurysm is an uncommon cause of tonsillary asymmetry. Although internal carotid artery aneurysms usually remain asymptomatic, the clinical manifestation requires the tonsillar enlargement. Asymmetry as a sole determining factor for tonsillectomy may lead to unnecessary operations. We report a patient with a giant internal carotid artery aneurysm presenting as tonsillary asymmetry that might be mistaken for a tonsillar neoplasia. When faced with a tonsillar asymmetry, an otolaryngologist must keep aneurysms in mind.
authors.affiliation: Dr Lutfi Kırdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital, Second ENT Department, Cevizli, Kartal, İstanbul, Turkey. drgokhanaltin@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Altin
authors.forename: Arif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanli
authors.forename: Banu Atalay
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Erdogan
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paksoy
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Niyazi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Altintoprak
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014068:Tonsillectomy