Recurrence of cervical artery dissection: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cervical artery dissection (CAD) involving the carotid or vertebral arteries is an important cause of stroke in younger patients. The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the risk of recurrent CAD. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted on studies in which patients experienced radiographically confirmed dissections involving an extracranial segment of the carotid or vertebral artery and in whom CAD recurrence rates were reported. RESULTS: Data were extracted from 29 eligible studies (n = 5898 patients). Analysis of outcomes was performed by pooling incidence rates with random effects models weighting by inverse of variance. The incidence of recurrent CAD was 4% overall (95% confidence interval (CI) = 3-7%), 2% at 1 month (95% CI = 1-5%), and 7% at 1 year in studies with sufficient follow-up (95% CI = 4-13%). The incidence of recurrence associated with ischemic events was 2% (95% CI = 1-3%). CONCLUSIONS: We found low rates of recurrent CAD and even lower rates of recurrence associated with ischemia. Further patient-level data and clinical subgroup analyses would improve the ability to provide patient-level risk stratification.

Recurrence of cervical artery dissection: protocol for a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Cervical artery dissection, including carotid and vertebral artery dissection, is an important cause of stroke in the young. Risk of developing cervical artery dissection has been associated with physical activity in various forms and has been presumed to be related to minor trauma and mechanical stretching of the cervical arteries. This systematic review will aim to synthesise data on the risk of recurrent cervical artery dissection after an initial dissection. This information may be applied to further understand the natural history of this disease, and potentially to help direct evidence-based discussions on safe return to activity after dissection. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A broad search of multiple electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science) will be conducted to identify studies published as of 13 November 2019, examining all-comers with cervical artery dissection observed over time. Studies will be screened by two independent reviewers in a two-level process to determine eligibility for inclusion. Data will be pooled from eligible articles and the main outcome of recurrent cervical artery dissection at 5 years will be determined using quantitative analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not necessary as no primary data are being collected. The information will be disseminated in the form of a systematic review article which will be submitted to a peer-reviewed medical journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020166105.