A near-fatal consequence of chiropractor massage: massive stroke from carotid arterial dissection and bilateral vertebral arterial oedema.

A 35-year-old Chinese man with no risk factors for stroke presented with a 2-day history of expressive dysphasia and a 1-day history of right-sided weakness. The presentation was preceded by multiple sessions of neck, shoulder girdle and upper back massage for pain relief in the prior 2 weeks. CT of the brain demonstrated an acute left middle cerebral artery infarct and left internal carotid artery dissection. MRI cerebral angiogram confirmed left carotid arterial dissection and intimal oedema of bilateral vertebral arteries. In the absence of other vascular comorbidities and risk factors, massage-induced internal carotid arterial dissection will most likely precipitate the near-fatal cerebrovascular event. The differential diagnosis of stroke in a younger population was consequently reviewed and discussed.

Cervical Artery Dissection Caused by Electrical Cupping Therapy with High-Negative Pressure - Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Cervical artery dissection is an important cause of stroke in the young. The etiology is still discussed controversial. The most obvious reason for a dissection of extracranial arteries is due to a trauma, eg. after car accidents or other high speed traumas such as high-velocity road traffic accidents. Besides these clear cases, chiropractic neck maneuvers represent potential reasons for vessel injuries. CASE PRESENTATION: We here report a rare case of secondary cervical artery dissection after so-called cupping therapy and a preventive treatment with a direct oral anticoagulant. CONCLUSIONS: Therapists using this technique should be aware of the potentially devastating side effects. The diagnosis of ICA dissection should be considered with any new onset of unknown neck pain or headache, specifically in combination with neurological deficits.

Early Anticoagulation or Antiplatelet Therapy Is Critical in Craniocervical Artery Dissection: Results from the COMPASS Registry.

INTRODUCTION: Craniocervical artery dissection (CeAD) is a leading cause of stroke in the young patient population. Recent studies reported a low rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with CeAD, with no significant difference between patients randomized to anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy in patients with CeAD. METHODS: All CeAD patients from 2015 to 2017 were consecutively identified by an electronic medical record-based application and enrolled in this prospective longitudinal registry. CeAD was confirmed by imaging and graded using the Denver scale for blunt cerebrovascular injury. Patients were followed for 12 months for MACE defined as stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or death. RESULTS: The cohort included 111 CeAD patients (age 53 ± 15.9 years, 56% Caucasian, 50% female). CeAD was detected by magnetic resonance (5%), computed tomography (88%), or catheter angiography (7%). CeAD was noted in the carotid (59%), vertebral (39%), and basilar (2%) arteries, 82% of which were extracranial dissections. CeAD was classified as grade I, II, III, and IV in 16, 33, 19, and 32%, respectively. A total of 40% of dissections were due to known trauma. A predisposing factor was noted in the majority (78%) of patients, including violent sneezing (21%), carrying a heavy load (19%), sports/recreational activity (11%), chiropractic manipulation (9%), abrupt/prolonged rotation of head (9%), and prolonged phone use (9%). At presentation, 41% had a stroke, 5% had TIA, 39% had headache, and 36% were asymptomatic. Favorable outcome defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 was noted in 68% at 3 months and 71% at 12 months. The rate of MACEs at 3 and 12 months was 11 and 14%, respectively, with more events observed in patients who were not receiving anticoagulation/antiplatelet therapy due to contraindications (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: We report diagnostic characteristics, as well as short- and long-term outcomes of CeAD. A high MACE rate was observed within the first 2 weeks of CeAD diagnosis, notably in patients not initiated on anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy.

Stroke prevention by endovascular treatment of carotid and vertebral artery dissections.

INTRODUCTION: Endovascular intervention for cervical carotid artery dissection (CAD) and vertebral artery dissection (VAD) may be indicated in specific circumstances. OBJECTIVE: To review our institutional experience with endovascular treatment of cervical dissections over the past 20 years to examine indications for treatment, interventional methods, and outcomes. METHODS: Retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database to identify patients with extracranial dissection who underwent endovascular intervention between January 1996 and January 2016. Demographic data and details of procedures, outcomes, and complications were extracted. RESULTS: Of 116 patients [93 CAD, 23 VAD; mean age 44.9 years (range 5-76 years)], 104 underwent stent placement; 11, coil occlusion of the parent artery; and 1, stenting with contralateral vessel occlusion. The cohorts were well matched for age, sex, dissection etiology, and admission and follow-up modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. Patients with CAD had significantly more stent placements (p<0.001), failure of medical therapy (p=0.004), and interventions for enlarging pseudoaneurysms (p=0.01) or thromboembolic events (p=0.004). Patients with VAD had significantly more interventions for traumatic occlusion with recanalization (p<0.001). Dissections were spontaneous (n=67), traumatic (n=36), or iatrogenic (n=13). Traumatic dissections in patients with CAD were associated with poor admission mRS scores (p=0.01). Six of 67 (9.0%) patients with spontaneous dissection reported recent chiropractic manipulation. Mean follow-up was 3.5 years (range 1-146 months). Permanent morbidity/mortality was 3.4%, including two deaths. Over a follow-up period of 364 patient-years, 1 stroke occurred (0.27% per year). At last follow-up, 41 previously disabled patients [CAD, 31/93 (33.3%); VAD, 10/23 (43.5%)] were no longer disabled; no patient reported worsened disability. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CAD and VAD differ significantly in presentation, indications for treatment, and treatment methods. Endovascular treatment of CAD and VAD has low procedural morbidity and is associated with a low incidence of future stroke.

Carotid dissection causing stroke in a 13-year-old boy with mild hyperhomocysteinemia: case report.

The author describes a 13-year-old Thai boy who developed stroke caused by carotid dissection and found mild elevation of plasma homocysteine (tHcy). The patient improved after anticoagulation therapy and his plasma tHcy decreased after vitamin supplement. With long-term follow-up, he is having normal neurological condition. This case proposes that the pathogenesis of carotid dissection may associate with mild hyperhomocysteinemia.