[Facial artery injury from a bullet wound discovered after arteriography (author's transl)].

Signs of a fracture of the mandible and a submaxillary hematoma were present in a patient wounded by a bullet. Selective carotid arteriography by femoral catheterization revealed the presence of sectioning of the facial artery at its origin and underlying external carotid stenosis. Hemorrhagic complications or aneurysm formation could have occurred if the lesion had not been demonstrated. Though arteriography is not without risks, it is irreplaceable for investigating cervicofacial injuries when a vascular lesion is suspected.