Curr Health Sci J, vol. 49, no. 1, 2023

Vertebral Artery Dissection: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

[Case Report]

O-A Dogariu(1,2), I Dogariu(2), M Berceanu(3), R Sandu(4), I A Gheonea(5)


(1)PhD Student, Department of Radiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, Romania,
(2)Department of Neurology, Emergency County Hospital Targu-Jiu, Romania,
(3)Department of Cardiology, Emergency County Hospital of Craiova, Romania,
(4)Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, Romania,
(5)Department of Radiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, Emergency County Hospital Craiova, Romania


Abstract:

Arterial dissection is the result of blood entering along the intima-media plane through a breach produced either spontaneously or traumatically. Cervical arterial dissections are an important cause of acute ischemic stroke in children, young adults, and patients with cranio-cervical traumatic injuries. Arterial dissections occur either spontaneously, in genetic diseases, the most important association being with fibromuscular dysplasia. In most of the cases dissection involve the extracranial portions of the internal carotid and vertebral arteries. Magnetic resonance with T1 fat-saturation (T1 FS) sequence of the cervical region or computed tomography (CT) with computed tomography angiography (CTA) shows a very high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of cervical artery dissections. Therapeutic options are still debatable in patients with acute ischemic stroke and vertebral or carotid artery dissection.


Keywords:
Cervical artery dissection, stroke, vertebral artery occlusion, cranio-cervical trauma.



Corresponding:
Ioan Dogariu, PhD Student, Department of Radiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, Department of Neurology, Emergency County Hospital Targu-Jiu, Romania, e-mail: dogariuioan@gmail.com


DOI 10.12865/CHSJ.49.01.13 - Download PDF