OBJECTIVE: To determine the aetiology, frequency, presentation, and outcome of blunt cervicocerebral arterial dissection presentations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cases were retrospectively identified through the stroke registers at Royal Melbourne Hospital (a tertiary teaching hospital) and Geelong Hospital (a regional referral centre). Medical notes were then reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 18 cases were identified, with ages ranging from 28 to 53 years. Fifty five per cent of the injuries sustained were to the internal carotid artery and 45% to the vertebral artery. The majority of the injuries were either spontaneous or associated with trivial forces. Other causes included motor vehicle accidents, falls, and cervical manipulations. Fifty five per cent of patients complained of significant neck pain before presentation. Most patients had delayed presentations, with only 39% presenting on the day of the incident. Seventy eight per cent presented with a neurological deficit. Initial computed tomography was normal in 71% of patients. The majority of patients were managed with anticoagulation, and had minimal functional deficit on discharge. Other treatment modalities included surgery (one patient) and thrombolysis (two patients). One patient was managed conservatively. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of blunt cervicocerebral arterial dissection is unknown; however it is an uncommon diagnosis. The most common presentation is that of a delayed neurological event. Initial brain computed tomography is usually normal. Minimal adverse outcomes at discharge were noted in patients treated with anticoagulation only. (+info)
Embolic cerebellar infarction caused by spontaneous dissection of the extracranial vertebral artery--two case reports.
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Spontaneous dissection of the extracranial vertebral artery (VA) may cause ischemic stroke in the posterior circulation. A 22-year-old female and a 38-year-old male presented with sudden onset of vertigo and nausea without trauma. Angiography was initially interpreted as normal, but retrospective examination disclosed extracranial VA dissection in the V3 segment in both cases. Arterial dissection resulting in embolic stroke in the territory of the ipsilateral posterior inferior cerebellar artery was highly suspected. Both patients were treated conservatively without sequelae. Careful angiographic interpretation is important for the diagnosis of extracranial VA dissection. Spontaneous extracranial VA dissection should be suspected in young patients presenting with ischemic stroke but without predisposing risk factors or associated trauma. (+info)
Aneurysmal forms of cervical artery dissection : associated factors and outcome.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The natural history of aneurysmal forms of cervical artery dissection (CAD) is ill defined. The aims of this study were to assess (1) clinical and anatomic outcome of aneurysmal forms of extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery (VA) dissections and (2) factors associated with aneurysmal forms of CAD. METHODS: Seventy-one consecutive patients with CAD were reviewed. Aneurysmal forms of CAD were identified from all available angiograms by 2 neuroradiologists. The frequency of arterial risk factors, of multiple vessel dissections, and of artery redundancies was compared in patients with and without aneurysm. Patients with aneurysm were invited by mail to undergo a final clinical and radiological evaluation. RESULTS: Of the 71 patients, 35 (49.3%) had a total of 42 aneurysms. Thirty aneurysms were located on a symptomatic artery (ICA, 23; VA, 7) and 12 on an asymptomatic artery (ICA, 10; VA, 2). Patients with aneurysm had multiple dissections of cervical vessels (18/35 versus 7/36; P:=0.005) and arterial redundancies (20/35 versus 11/36; P:=0.02) more frequently than patients without aneurysm. They were also more often migrainous (odds ratio=2.7 [95% CI, 0.8 to 8.5]) and tobacco users (odds ratio=2.2 [95% CI, 0.7 to 6.3]). Clinical and anatomic follow-up information was available for 35 (100%) and 33 patients (94%), respectively. During a mean follow-up of >3 years, no patient had signs of cerebral ischemia, local compression, or rupture. At follow-up, 46% of the aneurysms involving symptomatic ICA were unchanged, 36% had disappeared, and 18% had decreased in size. Resolution was more common for VA than for ICA aneurysms (83% versus 36%). None of the aneurysms located on an asymptomatic ICA had disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: Although aneurysms due to CAD frequently persist, patients carry a very low risk of clinical complications. This favorable clinical outcome should be kept in mind before potential harmful treatment is contemplated. (+info)
Mild hyperhomocyst(e)inemia: a possible risk factor for cervical artery dissection.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The pathogenesis of cervical artery dissection (CAD) remains unknown in most cases. Hyperhomocyst(e)inemia [hyperH(e)], an independent risk factor for cerebrovascular disease, induces damage in endothelial cells in animal cell culture. Consecutive patients with CAD and age-matched control subjects have been studied by serum levels of homocyst(e)ine and the genotype of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). METHODS: Twenty-six patients with CAD, admitted to our Stroke Unit (15 men and 11 women; 16 vertebral arteries, 10 internal carotid arteries), were compared with age-matched control subjects. All patients underwent duplex ultrasound, MR angiography, and/or conventional angiography. RESULTS: Mean plasma homocyst(e)ine level was 17.88 micromol/L (range 5.95 to 40.0 micromol/L) for patients with CAD and 6.0+/-0.99 micromol/L for controls (P:<0.001). The genetic analysis for the thermolabile form of MTHFR in CAD patients showed heterozygosity in 54% and homozygosity in 27%; comparable figures for controls were 40% (P:=0.4) and 10% (P:=0.1), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Mild hyperH(e) might represent a risk factor for cervical artery dissection. The MTHFR mutation is not significantly associated with CAD. An interaction between different genetic and environmental factors probably takes place in the cascade of pathogenetic events leading to arterial wall damage. (+info)
Neurological complications of cervical spine manipulation.
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To obtain preliminary data on neurological complications of spinal manipulation in the UK all members of the Association of British Neurologists were asked to report cases referred to them of neurological complications occurring within 24 hours of cervical spine manipulation over a 12-month period. The response rate was 74%. 24 respondents reported at least one case each, contributing to a total of about 35 cases. These included 7 cases of stroke in brainstem territory (4 with confirmation of vertebral artery dissection), 2 cases of stroke in carotid territory and 1 case of acute subdural haematoma. There were 3 cases of myelopathy and 3 of cervical radiculopathy. Concern about neurological complications following cervical spine manipulation appears to be justified. A large long-term prospective study is required to determine the scale of the hazard. (+info)
Chiropractic manipulation and stroke: a population-based case-control study.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Several reports have linked chiropractic manipulation of the neck to dissection or occlusion of the vertebral artery. However, previous studies linking such strokes to neck manipulation consist primarily of uncontrolled case series. We designed a population-based nested case-control study to test the association. METHODS: Hospitalization records were used to identify vertebrobasilar accidents (VBAs) in Ontario, Canada, during 1993-1998. Each of 582 cases was age and sex matched to 4 controls from the Ontario population with no history of stroke at the event date. Public health insurance billing records were used to document use of chiropractic services before the event date. RESULTS: Results for those aged <45 years showed VBA cases to be 5 times more likely than controls to have visited a chiropractor within 1 week of the VBA (95% CI from bootstrapping, 1.32 to 43.87). Additionally, in the younger age group, cases were 5 times as likely to have had >/=3 visits with a cervical diagnosis in the month before the case's VBA date (95% CI from bootstrapping, 1.34 to 18.57). No significant associations were found for those aged >/=45 years. CONCLUSIONS: While our analysis is consistent with a positive association in young adults, potential sources of bias are also discussed. The rarity of VBAs makes this association difficult to study despite high volumes of chiropractic treatment. Because of the popularity of spinal manipulation, high-quality research on both its risks and benefits is recommended. (+info)
Clinically unidentified dissection of vertebral artery as a cause of cerebellar infarction.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Dissection of vertebral arteries has been reported in association with minor neck movements without signs of trauma on the surface of the neck. In addition, injury of a vertebral artery can cause brain infarctions. However, few cases have been reported in which fatal brain infarction was due to nonocclusive, clinically undetected, traumatic thrombus formation in a vertebral artery. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 62-year-old man was hit by a car, and a right cerebellar infarction was found the day after the accident. The cause of the infarction could not be detected by angiography. Although the patient recovered favorably after surgical removal of the right lateral hemisphere of the cerebellum, he died suddenly 2 weeks after the accident. An autopsy and a microscopic study revealed pulmonary thromboembolism and organizing traumatic lesions of the right vertebral artery without occlusion or noteworthy stenosis of the artery. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the patient sustained traumatic lesions of the right vertebral artery during the traffic accident 2 weeks before death and that his cerebellar infarction was due to a thrombus resulting from these traumatic lesions. (+info)
Brain stem compression by a giant vertebrobasilar aneurysm mimicking seronegative myasthenia.
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A patient is described with a vertebrobasilar aneurysm who was erroneously thought to have myasthenia gravis on the basis of the clinical presentation and investigations, which were interpreted as supportive of a disorder of the neuromuscular junction. Despite the correct diagnosis being made at a late stage the patient made a full recovery after radiological intervention. (+info)