Traumatic Dissection of Arterial Cervical Vessels: Report of Two Cases and Literature Review

Even though traumatic dissection of cervical arterial vessels is themajor cause of stroke among adults, it is still an underdiagnosed disease in neurosurgical emergencies, since most patients do not have or present subtle clinical signs in the acute phase. The authors report two interesting cases of cervical artery dissection with different traumatic mechanisms and present a broad literature review about this subject.

Spontaneous Cervical Artery Dissection in Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a rare inherited connective tissue disorder because of pathogenic variants in the COL3A1 gene. Arterial complications can affect all anatomic areas and about 25% involve supra-aortic trunks (SATs) but no systematic assessment of cervical artery lesions has been made. The primary objective was to determine an accurate prevalence of spontaneous SAT lesions in a large series of patients with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome at diagnosis and during follow-up. Secondary objectives were to study their neurological consequences (transient ischemic attack or stroke) and the possible relationships with sex, genotype, ascertainment status. METHODS: A retrospective review of a monocentric cohort of patients with molecularly proven vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome followed in a tertiary referral center from 2000 to 2017. RESULTS: One hundred forty-four patients were analyzed, 56.9% (n=82) had SAT lesions: 64.6% females, 74.4% index-case patients. Most lesions were identified in early arterial assessment (48% at first work-up, mean age of 35.7±13.0 years). Cumulative incidence of a first identification of a SAT lesion was 41.7% at 40 years old. On the complete period of survey, 183 SAT lesions (with 132 dissections and 33 aneurysms) were identified, mainly in internal carotid arteries (56.3%) and vertebral arteries (28.9%), more rarely in patients with COL3A1 null mutations (P=0.008). Transient ischemic attack or stroke were reported in n=16 (19.5%) of the 82 patients with SAT lesions without relation with age, sex, treatment, or hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical artery lesions are frequent and mostly asymptomatic in patients with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Local dissections and aneurysms are the most frequent type of lesions, but transient ischemic attack or stroke seem rare.

Unusual Presentation of Bilateral Carotid Artery Dissection: The Importance of Reasoning Outside the Box.

A bilateral internal carotid artery dissection presenting with atypical symptoms of cerebral hypoperfusion has been rarely reported, especially in the absence of obvious precipitating factors. A middle-aged woman presented to the emergency department with a 2-day-history of progressive left arm numbness and weakness, confusion, disorientation and clumsiness worsened by upright position. A cerebral hypoperfusion condition was hypothesized and confirmed by a CT angiography, which showed bilateral internal carotid dissection with uncertain etiology. Screening for predisposing conditions to spontaneous carotid arteries dissection was basically negative. Regarding potential precipitating factors, the patient had used an electric olive harvester days before symptoms onset, without any painful sensation or sudden sequelae. Portable harvesters in olive growing transmit vibrations to the hand-arm system but it remains to be elucidated if hand-arm vibrations can be implicated in vessels wall injury and dissection. Bilateral carotid artery dissection is an infrequent and life-threatening condition which can rarely present with non-specific symptoms of cerebral hypoperfusion. The absence of typical symptoms and known precipitating factors can made the diagnosis quite hard to achieve.

Treatment Approaches and Outcomes for Acute Anterior Circulation Stroke Patients with Tandem Lesions.

OBJECTIVES: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has revolutionized stroke care for large vessel occlusions (LVOs). However, over half treated remain functionally disabled or die. Patients with tandem lesions, or severe stenosis/occlusion of the cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) with intracranial LVO, may have technical EVT challenges and worse outcomes. We sought to compare treatments and outcomes for patients with anterior circulation tandem lesions versus isolated LVOs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive tandem lesion and isolated intracranial LVO patients were identified at a single center. Demographics, medical history, presentations, treatments, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: From 381 EVT patients, 62 had tandem lesions related to atherosclerosis (74%) or dissection (26%). Compared to isolated intracranial LVOs, they were younger (63 vs 70, p = 0.003), had less atrial fibrillation (13% vs 40%, p < 0.0001), less adequate reperfusion (TICI 2b-3, 58% vs 82%, p < 0.0001), more intracranial hemorrhage (ICH, 13% vs 5%, p = 0.037), but similar 90-day functional independence (mRS 0-2, 34% vs 43%, p = 0.181). The cervical ICA was treated before intracranial EVT (57%), after (13%), not acutely (22%), or was inaccessible (8%). Acute cervical ICA treatments were stenting (57%) or angioplasty alone (13%). Neither acute stenting nor order of treatment was associated with outcomes (TICI 2b-3, ICH, or 90-day mRS 0-2). Among acutely stented, neither alteplase nor antiplatelets were associated with outcomes or stent patency. CONCLUSIONS: Tandem lesions were associated with less reperfusion, more ICH, but similar 90-day functional independence. No treatment approach was associated with outcomes. These data illustrate the technical challenges of tandem lesion treatment and underscore the importance of developing new approaches.

Clinical Usefulness of Serial Duplex Ultrasound in Cervical Artery Dissection Patients.

PURPOSE: To study the clinical usefulness of serial color-coded duplex ultrasound (DUS) examinations in cervical artery dissection (CeAD) patients. METHODS: Single-center, CeAD registry-based re-review of serial, routine DUS exams in consecutive CeAD patients treated at the Stroke Center Basel, Switzerland (2009-2015). Two experienced raters reassessed all DUS for the occurrence of new arterial findings during follow-up, that is. (i) recanalization of the dissected artery (if occluded at baseline), (ii) delayed occlusion of a patent dissected artery, and (iii) recurrent CeAD. We studied whether these new arterial findings were associated with clinical symptoms. RESULTS: In 94 CeAD patients (n = 40 female [42.6%], median age 46 years [interquartile range (IQR) 36.2-53]), 506 DUS examinations were reviewed covering a median length of follow-up of 54.1 weeks (IQR 30.5-100.5). In total, 105 dissected arteries were detected, of which 27 (25.7%) were occluded. In 28/94 patients (29.8%), 31 new arterial findings were recorded, which were associated with clinical symptoms in 9/31 (30%) patients. Recanalization of occluded CeAD was observed in 22/27 (81.5%) arteries and occurred in 20/22 arteries within 3 months. In 4/22 patients (18.2%), recanalization was associated with clinical symptoms (ischemic events [n = 2], pure local symptoms [n = 2]). Delayed occlusions were observed in 4/78 (5.1%) dissected arteries patent at baseline. All were clinically asymptomatic and occurred within 14 days from baseline. Recurrent CeAD (all symptomatic) occurred in 5 previously non-dissected arteries. CONCLUSION: In CeAD patients, follow-up DUS identified new arterial findings, of which several were associated with clinical symptoms: we found that about 1 of 5 recanalizations were associated with clinical symptoms, of whom half were ischemic symptoms. Further, delayed occlusions occurred in patients with no or mild stenosis at baseline and were asymptomatic. This study emphasizes the potential importance of repeated DUS in CeAD particularly in the early phase of up to 4 weeks.

PDE3A variant associated with hypertension and brachydactyly syndrome in a patient with ischemic stroke caused by spontaneous intracranial artery dissection: A review of the clinical and molecular genetic features.

Hypertension and brachydactyly syndrome (HTNB; MIM 112410) is a rare, recently described, autosomal dominant syndromic disease characterized by the triad of brachydactyly type E (BDE), short stature, and hypertension. HTNB is caused by a heterozygous mutation in the PDE3A (MIM 123805) gene on chromosome 12p12; this gene encodes a member of the cGMP-inhibited cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase family. PED3A plays a role in many signal transduction pathways, including those involved in vascular smooth muscle proliferation and contraction, cardiac contractility, platelet aggregation, and hormone secretion. Here, we present a new case of HTNB in a 42-year-old patient who experienced recurrent ischemic strokes in various vascular territories; these strokes were caused by intracranial multiarterial dissection, and were experienced for 2 weeks. She was found to harbor a de novo heterozygous in-frame deletion, c.1333_1335del p.(Thr445del), in exon 4 of the PDE3A gene. Our finding is expected to contribute to the elucidation of the pathophysiology of stroke in HTNB patients. We further review all clinical and molecular genetic features of this rare disease described in the literature to date.

Forensic and Clinical Issues in a Case of Motorcycle Blunt Trauma and Bilateral Carotid Artery Dissection.

Internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) after motorcycle accidents is unusual but life threatening if not promptly diagnosed and treated. We report the case of a motorcyclist involved in a frontal collision with a car, suffering injuries due to direct blunt trauma and indirect trauma by sudden deceleration force. Bilateral ICAD was diagnosed by computed tomography angiogram 5 days after the accident. Here in, starting from a medicolegal case, we emphasized some clinical criteria to make a prompt diagnosis to prevent permanent neurological deficit in this pathology whose best management is still under the debate. An unusual case of ICAD is described with regard to both forensic and promptly diagnostic therapeutic management.

Endovascular Treatment of Internal Carotid Artery Dissection Presenting with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Definitive treatment of carotid dissection-related strokes is currently unproved. The best endovascular technique in this setting remains to be established. OBJECTIVE: To report our experience in endovascular treatment of internal carotid artery dissection presenting with acute strokes. METHODS: Consecutive patients with acute strokes due to internal carotid artery dissection treated with endovascular therapy at our hospital between January 2008 and July 2019 were included. Patients were assigned to endovascular treatment according to clinical-radiologic mismatch, NIHSS greater than or equal to 5, and within 6 hours after symptom onset. The endovascular technique is described. Intracranial recanalization, carotid dilatation, and clinical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Seven patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 55 years; 5 patients (71.4%) were male. 71.4% had tandem occlusion strokes, while 28.6% had hemodynamic strokes. The mean onset-to-puncture time was 3.92 hours. Stent-assisted angioplasty for internal carotid artery was done for 85.7% of patients with a mean of 1.6 deployed stents. Dilatation was successful in 83.3% of them. Successful overall recanalization rate was 85.7%. No major complications were encountered. Minor complications occurred in 42.8% of cases. The mean NIHSS score decreased from 13.7 preoperative to 5 after 3 days. Good functional outcome (mRS 0-2) was found in 85.7% of patients at 3 months. No recurrent strokes identified over an average of 40.86 months follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that endovascular therapy for internal carotid artery dissection-related strokes has high rates of reperfusion and favorable outcomes. Stent-assisted angioplasty of carotid dissection is thought to be safe and effective.

Ocular ischaemia due to a spontaneous carotid artery dissection.

Internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) is caused by the disruption of the tunica intima, with the formation of an intramural haematoma that can cause stenosis or occlusion of the artery's lumen, leading to reduced blood flow and secondary thrombus formation. Up to two-thirds of patients with ICAD show ophthalmological symptoms or signs, which are, frequently, the first manifestations of this clinical condition, often preceding for weeks the neurological signs of cerebral infarction. Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a rare complication of ICAD, secondary either to haemodynamic compromise, with ocular hypoperfusion and reverse flow within the ophthalmic artery, or to thromboembolic events, in rarer cases. We report a case of CRAO secondary to a spontaneous ICAD, in an otherwise healthy middle-aged patient.

A risk-benefit assessment strategy to exclude cervical artery dissection in spinal manual-therapy: a comprehensive review.

Cervical artery dissection refers to a tear in the internal carotid or the vertebral artery that results in an intramural haematoma and/or an aneurysmal dilatation. Although cervical artery dissection is thought to occur spontaneously, physical trauma to the neck, especially hyperextension and rotation, has been reported as a trigger. Headache and/or neck pain is the most common initial symptom of cervical artery dissection. Other symptoms include Horner's syndrome and lower cranial nerve palsy. Both headache and/or neck pain are common symptoms and leading causes of disability, while cervical artery dissection is rare. Patients often consult their general practitioner for headache and/or neck pain, and because manual-therapy interventions can alleviate headache and/or neck pain, many patients seek manual therapists, such as chiropractors and physiotherapists. Cervical mobilization and manipulation are two interventions that manual therapists use. Both interventions have been suspected of being able to trigger cervical artery dissection as an adverse event. The aim of this review is to provide an updated step-by-step risk-benefit assessment strategy regarding manual therapy and to provide tools for clinicians to exclude cervical artery dissection. Key messages Cervical mobilization and/or manipulation have been suspected to be able to trigger cervical artery dissection (CAD). However, these assumptions are based on case studies which are unable to established direct causality. The concern relates to the chicken and the egg discussion, i.e. whether the CAD symptoms lead the patient to seek cervical manual-therapy or whether the cervical manual-therapy provoked CAD along with the non-CAD presenting complaint. Thus, instead of proving a nearly impossible causality hypothesis, this study provide clinicians with an updated step-by-step risk-benefit assessment strategy tool to (a) facilitate clinicians understanding of CAD, (b) appraise the risk and applicability of cervical manual-therapy, and (c) provide clinicians with adequate tools to better detect and exclude CAD in clinical settings.

False Aneurysms Complicating Internal Carotid Artery Dissection.

Pseudoaneurysm formation is a rare but dangerous complication of carotid artery dissection. It can result from trauma, spontaneous artery dissection, or iatrogenic causes. Presence of symptoms and ineffective medical therapy are one of the indications for invasive treatment. We present the case of 3 symptomatic patients with dissecting pseudoaneurysms-2 traumatic and 1 spontaneous. They were treated with 3 different endovascular procedures: the use of covered stentgraft, trans-stent coil embolization, and carotid stenting. After invasive and dual antiplatelet therapy, complete resolution of symptoms was achieved in all patients.

Intracranial contrast transit times on digital subtraction angiography decrease more in patients with delayed intraparenchymal hemorrhage after Pipeline.

Background Pipeline embolization devices (PEDs) are used for endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms but can be associated with delayed ipsilateral intraparenchymal hemorrhage (DIPH). Changes in intracranial hemodynamics after PED are poorly understood. Objective Here, we assess hemodynamic changes after PED in patients and compare these changes in patients with and without DIPH (DIPH+ and DIPH-). Methods Records of patients with distal internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms treated with PED at our institution between 2012 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Regions of interest were selected proximally to PED over the cavernous ICA and distally over the middle cerebral artery (MCA), and then transit times were determined using syngo iFlow software (Siemens). Ratio of MCA to ICA transit time was compared before, after treatment, and at follow-up. Ratios were also compared between DIPH+ and DIPH- subgroups. Correlations between aneurysm size, age, and ratios were investigated. Results Fifty-three patients were included. The ratio of MCA to ICA transit time decreased significantly after PED deployment (1.13 vs. 1.22, p < 0.01). The ratio in the DIPH + subgroup ( n = 4) was significantly lower (1.00 vs. 1.14, p = 0.01) and decreased significantly more (21% vs. 4.4%, p = 0.02) compared to the DIPH- subgroup ( n = 49). The ratio tended to be higher in larger aneurysms at baseline ( r = 0.25, p = 0.07) but not after PED treatment ( r = 0.11, p = 0.15). Age did not correlate with ratio. Conclusion The ratio of MCA to ICA transit time decreases following PED treatment and decreases more in patients with DIPH. These contrast transit time changes can be detected in real time immediately after PED deployment.

Thrombectomy in Acute Stroke With Tandem Occlusions From Dissection Versus Atherosclerotic Cause.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Tandem steno-occlusive lesions were poorly represented in randomized trials and represent a major challenge for endovascular thrombectomy in acute anterior circulation strokes. The impact of the cervical carotid lesion cause (ie, atherosclerotic versus dissection) on outcome of tandem patients endovascularly treated remains to be assessed. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed individual data of prospectively collected consecutive tandem patients treated with endovascular thrombectomy. The primary outcome was favorable outcome at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2). Secondary efficacy outcomes included successful reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebrovascular Infarction scores of 2b-3), time to reperfusion, and safety outcomes encompassed procedural complications, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, and 90-day mortality. RESULTS: Among the 295 included patients, 65 had cervical carotid dissection and 230 had cervical carotid atherosclerotic cause. The rate of favorable outcome was 56.3% in the dissection group versus 47.6% in the atherosclerotic arm (center-, age-, and admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale-adjusted odds ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.50-2.30; P=0.85). No significant differences were observed in secondary outcomes. The rates of successful reperfusion, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, and 90-day mortality were 78.5% versus 74.5% (P=0.13), 4.6% versus 5.2% (P=1.0), and 7.8% versus 15.3% (P=0.94) in the dissection versus atherosclerotic groups, respectively. The median procedural time was 76 minutes (interquartile range, 52-95 minutes) in the dissection group and 67 minutes (interquartile range, 45-98 minutes) in the atherosclerotic group (P=0.24). CONCLUSIONS: We found no differences in the outcomes of patients with anterior circulation tandem atherosclerotic and dissection lesions treated with endovascular thrombectomy. Further studies are warranted.

Dissection of the internal carotid artery and stroke after mandibular fractures: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: We present a report of a patient with blunt trauma and mandibular fractures who developed a significant cerebral infarction due to an initially unrecognized injury of her left internal carotid artery. We believe that increased knowledge of this association will facilitate early recognition and hence prevention of a devastating outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old ethnic Norwegian woman presented to our Emergency Room after a bicycle accident that had caused a direct blow to her chin. At admittance, her Glasgow Coma Scale was 15. Initial trauma computed tomography showed triple fractures of her mandible, but no further pathology. She was placed in our Intensive Care Unit awaiting open reduction of her mandibular fractures. During the following 9 hours, she showed recurrent episodes of confusion and a progressive right-sided hemiparesis. Repeated cerebral computed tomography revealed no further pathology compared to the initial scan. She had magnetic resonance angiography 17 hours after admittance, which showed dissection and thrombus formation in her left internal carotid artery, total occlusion of her left medial cerebral artery, and left middle cerebral artery infarction was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid artery dissection is a rare but life-threatening condition that can develop after trauma to the head and neck. There should be a high index of suspicion in patients with a mechanism of injury that places the internal carotid artery at risk because blunt vascular injury may show delayed onset with no initial symptoms of vascular damage. By implementing an algorithm for early detection and treatment of these injuries, serious brain damage may be avoided.

Spontaneous Recanalization After Carotid Artery Dissection: The Case for an Ultrasound-Only Monitoring Strategy.

Dissection of the internal carotid artery (ICA) accounts for 5% to 25% of ischemic strokes in young adults. We report a case of spontaneous recanalization of a traumatic ICA dissection in which carotid duplex (CDU) and transcranial color-coded duplex ultrasound (TCCD) were used. A 47-year-old male presented with intermittent episodes of headache, blurry vision, anisocoria, and loss of taste sensation following a whiplash injury while body surfing. Magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) of the neck revealed absent flow in the cavernous ICA and a clot at the skull base. Carotid duplex, used to further evaluate flow, demonstrated reverberating color Doppler and spectrum signal. A TCCD showed ICA occlusion and smaller-caliber intracranial ICA. The patient reported for follow-up after 1 month on anticoagulation therapy. Upon his return, CDU and TCCD were normal and the ICA showed normal color and spectrum signals. Computed tomography angiogram confirmed ultrasound findings of a dramatic improvement of ICA patency. Additionally, the patient reported that his headaches had resolved. Extracranial CDU and TCCD are useful for monitoring patient progress in cases of spontaneous recanalization following carotid artery dissection. These inexpensive and noninvasive imaging modalities proved to be critical in the initial and follow-up evaluations of the extracranial and intracranial vascular system, providing a strong alternative to expensive magnetic resonance imaging and invasive angiograms and offering more hemodynamic information than "static" MRA.

Rare case of bilateral traumatic internal carotid artery dissection.

A 55-year-old man was working in a trench when the wall collapsed in on him, pinning him to the wall. On arrival in the emergency department the patient began reporting of right-sided headache. Neurological examination revealed left-sided reduced sensation with weakness. Whole-body CT scan showed right-sided flail chest and bilateral haemothorax as well as loss of flow and thinning of the distal right internal carotid artery (ICA) and loss of grey white matter differentiation in keeping with traumatic ICA dissection with a right middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarct. He was started on aspirin 300 mg once daily. 3 days postadmission the patient experienced worsening of vision and expressive dysphasia. CT angiogram showed bilateral ICA dissections extending from C2 to the skull base. The patient was managed conservatively in the stroke unit for infarction and was discharged home for follow-up in stroke clinic.

The insidious appearance of the dissecting aneurysm: Imaging findings and related pathophysiology. A report of two cases.

Intracranial dissecting aneurysms have been frequently reported to present with fairly challenging and time-variable imaging findings that can be mostly explained by the pathological mechanisms that underline the dissection. We present two cases of spontaneous dissecting aneurysm of the supraclinoid ICA, both clinically presenting with SAH, but characterized by different progression of clinical symptoms and imaging. However, in both cases an outpouch and a mild fusiform dilation of the supraclinoid ICA was present in the initial CTA performed after the occurrence of symptoms. These findings were well depicted by the MPR reformats performed retrospectively. We postulate that this finding may represent the point of initial transmural dissection and we recommend that careful analysis of the CTA MRP reformatted images should be performed in order to detect this finding promptly.

[Dissection of the cervical arteries]. / Dissektion af halskar.

Dissection of the cervical arteries is an important cause of stroke in young adults. A haematoma in the wall of the cervical vessel leads to stenosis or occlusion and thereby risk of stroke. The most frequent local symptoms in carotid-artery dissection are head- and neck pain accompanied by Horner's syndrome, while typical symptoms in vertebral-artery dissection are pain in the back of the neck and head. The mural haematoma is best visualized by magnetic resonance imaging. Antithrombotic versus anticoagulation treatment to prevent stroke have recently shown to be equally effective.

Headache in Intracranial and Cervical Artery Dissections.

Dissection refers to a tear in the wall of an artery, with the two main types being intracranial or extracranial. Dissections tend to occur most commonly in the young, sometimes secondary to trauma involving the neck. To confirm a dissection, some type of vessel imaging is necessary, including magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), computed tomography angiography (CTA), or angiography. The most common presentation of a dissection (especially extracranial) is pain, usually head and neck pain along with a Horner's syndrome. Patients may also present with ischemic symptoms, including transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke, which may also be a complication of a dissection. Although headache is a common presentation, there is little research into phenotype or long-term outcomes. There are a number of case reports detailing the phenotypes of headaches that may be present in dissection, including a migraine-like or hemicrania-like headache. Dissections are usually treated with some type of anti-platelet or anti-coagulation, although there are only a few randomized controlled trials. In a new acute headache, dissection is an important diagnosis to keep in mind.

Traumatic Cervical Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke: Anticoagulation or Antiplatelet Therapy? The Controversies Remain / Dissecção traumática da artéria cervical e AVC isquêmico: anticoagulação ou terapia antiplaquetária? A polêmica continua

Arterial dissection of the wall of the carotid artery is a recognized and significant cause of stroke. We described a 22-year-old man presented to the emergency department after a motorcycle accident. He had a right acetabular fracture and had not complained of other symptoms. A few minutes after being admitted, the patient developed left side hemiparesis. Emergency brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an acute ischemia in the left basal ganglia. Conventional angiography confirmed almost complete occlusion of carotid artery lumen. We treated the patient with antiplatelet therapy and he is currently followed at the outpatient clinic with good recovery of motor symptoms. Early identification and management of cervical artery dissection is important, as it is one of the major causes of ischemic stroke in young adults. Despite previous published articles, the best treatment of carotid artery dissection, especially after trauma, remains controversial.

Dissecação da parede da artéria carótida interna é uma causa reconhecida de acidente vascular cerebral. Descrevemos um jovem de 22 anos admitido na emergência após acidente motociclístico. Inicialmente foi diagnosticado somente fratura acetabular, sem nenhuma outra queixa pelo paciente. Poucos minutos após admissão, o paciente evoluiu com hemiparesia esquerda. Encaminhado a ressonânciamagnética do encéfalo em caráter de urgência, identificou-se isquemia aguda nos gânglios da base à esquerda. Angiografia convencional demonstrou oclusão quase completa da artéria carótida interna. O caso foi tratado com terapia antiagregante plaquetária e atualmente o

Dissecação da parede da artéria carótida interna é uma causa reconhecida de acidente vascular cerebral. Descrevemos um jovem de 22 anos admitido na emergência após acidente motociclístico. Inicialmente foi diagnosticado somente fratura acetabular, sem nenhuma outra queixa pelo paciente. Poucos minutos após admissão, o paciente evoluiu com hemiparesia esquerda. Encaminhado a ressonânciamagnética do encéfalo em caráter de urgência, identificou-se isquemia aguda nos gânglios da base à esquerda. Angiografia convencional demonstrou oclusão quase completa da artéria carótida interna. O caso foi tratado com terapia antiagregante plaquetária e atualmente o paciente está em acompanhamento ambulatorial com boa recuperação dos sintomas motores. Como uma das maiores causas de acidente vascular cerebral isquêmico em jovens, a identificação precoce emanejo da dissecação cervical é importante. A depeito dos trabalhos previamente publicados, o melhor tratamento para a dissecação carótidea, especialmente após trauma, permanece controversa.