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Bertellotti et al.                                                                                                                                                                                    Vertebral artery transection

           examination of the wound during his initial evaluation.   Conflicts of interest
           This is the most common presentation in penetrating   There are no conflicts of interest.
           vertebral artery injury at 50%, while 30% present only
           with soft signs, and 20% with no overt signs.  This   Patient consent
                                                     [2]
           frank hemorrhage was the impetus for the decision   Not applicable as there is no identifying data.
           for operative exploration at the onset. This decision
           also corresponds to the algorithm suggested by     Ethics approval
           Greer et al. [10]  in their series of penetrating vertebral   Not required for this type of publication in our institution.
           artery injuries managed during the military campaigns
           in Iraq and Afghanistan. Early operative intervention   REFERENCES
           was also recommended by Reid and Weigelt
                                                         [11]
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           J.A. Asensio                                          RA, Fox CJ. Contemporary management of combat-related vertebral
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           None.                                                 Trauma 1988;28:1007-12.


















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