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Results for “Vertebral Artery Dissection”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1995

[Contribution of the cervical scanner with injection in the diagnosis of vertebral artery dissection].

Vertebral artery dissection is the first diagnosis that must be suspected by a 40 years old patient with posterior fossa ischemic signs. CT data from six cases of spontaneous or post-traumatic vertebral artery dissections are reviewed. Cervical CT is performed after contrast medium injection from C7 to C0 with 1.5 mm thick slices and a 2 mm gap or with a spiral mod including millimetric reconstruction. The enhancement of the vascular wall, the hypodense hematoma surrounding a stenotic and eccentric lumen, and the enlargement of the artery are typical for a vertebral artery dissection. CT findings were correlated with angiography that is still considered to be the gold standard for this diagnosis. Among noninvasive technics including MRI, duplex scanning and CT, the latter appears very accurate to diagnose vertebral artery dissection.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Vertebral artery dissection.

Vertebral artery dissections (VADs) following a variety of minor traumatic mechanisms have been previously reported. This article reports 2 cases of VAD with delayed recognition following motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). The first VAD patient developed major neurologic abnormalities 28 hours after an MVC. The second VAD patient presented with 3 weeks of neck and head pain beginning 8 weeks after an MVC and subsequent chiropractic manipulation. The anatomy and pathophysiology of VAD are reviewed. Early ED recognition prior to the onset of major neurologic deficits (e.g., paresis, dysarthria, ataxia, or altered mental status) is emphasized. An algorithm for the ED management of the entity is suggested.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2002

CT angiography in the diagnosis of spontaneous extracerebral vertebral artery dissection.

Spontaneous vertebral artery dissection is an underrecognised cause of cerebral ischaemia, most often seen in young adult patients. For this diagnosis cerebral angiography is the most sensitive and specific method. We describe a 30-year-old, male, with cerebellar stroke, in whom spontaneous vertebral artery dissection was diagnosed. Our diagnosis was confirmed by cerebral angiography and CT angiography. In our case anticoagulation (in acute phase) was introduced subcutaneously and later continued orally. The outcome was very good with complete remission. CT angiography seems to be a promising non-invasive method for the diagnosis of vertebral artery dissection. The prognosis in the patient with this diagnosis is relatively good (if managed properly), but the disease must always be treated as serious and life-threatening.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Neurological outcome and quality of life after stroke due to vertebral artery dissection.

BACKGROUND: Vertebral artery dissection is a well-recognized cause of posterior circulation stroke for which there is relatively little information on long-term outcomes. Quality of life (QOL) is an important patient-centred outcome measure. METHODS: Stroke due to vertebral artery dissection was conservatively defined by neuroimaging documentation. Thirty sequential cases were identified based on a retrospective database and chart review with prospective follow-up. Surviving patients completed the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SSQOL) scales and were subsequently examined neurologically and scored on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Comparisons were made between outcome on the stroke scale and QOL scales and between outcome on the SF-36 and the Canadian population. RESULTS: There was discordance between outcomes recorded on a standard stroke scale and QOL measures with more patients scoring poorly on QOL measures. QOL was low in one third of the survivors. Overall QOL was significantly lower than the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke due to vertebral artery dissection results in poorer outcomes on patient-centred QOL measures than on a standard stroke scale.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Recurrent ischemic events in two patients with painless vertebral artery dissection.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vertebral artery dissection causes endothelial changes and stenosis that may lead to recurrent ischemic neurological events. The diagnosis may not be obvious because the dissection may be painless and "spontaneous" (no obvious trauma). Magnetic resonance angiography has increasingly been used to screen patients for this disorder, but its accuracy has not yet been established. CASE DESCRIPTION: Two patients were admitted with repeated transient ischemic attacks and strokes over 11 months and 1 month, respectively. Neither had a history of trauma, cervical pain, or headache. Magnetic resonance angiography failed to visualize vertebral artery dissections that were later revealed by conventional angiography. One patient's events were stopped by balloon occlusion of the vertebral artery proximal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery branch. CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic resonance angiography is not yet sensitive enough to always visualize vertebral artery dissection. Vertebral artery dissection is a life-threatening condition that requires aggressive evaluation and treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Dual origin of the vertebral artery mimicking dissection.

Vertebral artery injury may occur at the time of cervical fracture or dislocation. Congenital vertebral artery variations, especially a double vertebral artery origin, may be responsible for angiographic findings that mimic vertebral artery dissection. Two cases of cervical spine fracture with ipsilateral double vertebral artery are presented. Conventional cerebral angiography is the easiest and best way to make this diagnosis and to exclude vertebral artery dissection.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Vertebral artery dissection. Case report.

Vertebral artery dissection is an uncommon but important cause of posterior stroke in young and middle aged adults. We report a case with a long term fluctuating ischemic symptoms due to bilateral spontaneous dissection. Etiology and treatment are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

[Ischemic cerebral vascular accident caused by vertebral artery dissection].

BACKGROUND: Strokes due to vertebral artery lesions are not yet well known in children. CASE REPORT: We report on a case of post-traumatic vertebral artery dissection responsible for ischemic stroke in a 8-year old boy. Headache, vomiting and a brief loss of consciousness were the main initial signs. Neurological examination showed a locked-in syndrome. Cerebral imaging revealed lesions in cortical cerebellar hemisphere, cerebral pedoncular and protuberance. An arteriogram performed on day 10 showed left vertebral artery occlusion at C2 levels consistent with vertebral dissection. Antiagregants treatment was given. Neurological recovery was good. Pertinent clinical data of 24 children who had strokes due to a vertebral artery dissection are analysed. CONCLUSION: Vertebral artery dissection is presently a well-known cause of childhood strokes. Benefits from anticoagulants are now established.

Aortic Dissection↗

PubMed1995

Vertebral artery dissection diagnosed with CT.

Vertebral artery dissection after neck manipulation has been well described. A case of bilateral vertebral artery dissection diagnosed with dynamic CT scanning of the neck is reported. The CT appearances and correlative angiographic and MR findings are presented.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Low-molecular-weight heparin for vertebral artery dissection.

A case of vertebral artery dissection and consequent basilar artery thrombosis in a 6-year-old patient is reported. The patient was treated with subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparin at therapeutic doses (enoxaparin, 100 IU/kg twice daily) for 3 weeks, then reduced to 2,000 IU/day for 3 more weeks. After this time a magnetic resonance angiogram was obtained that showed complete recanalization of the left basilar artery. Enoxaparin proved to be a safe and useful therapy for thrombosis accompanying vertebral artery dissection.

Child↗

PubMed2003

[A case of basilar artery occlusion of traumatic vertebral artery dissection successfully managed by endovascular treatment].

The author describes a case of basilar artery occlusion caused by vertebral artery dissection with vertebral fracture. A 61-year-old man was admitted with neck pain after a traffic accident. His symptoms suddenly deteriorated and cerebral angiography revealed an occlusion of the right vertebral artery, and complete occlusion of the basilar artery. Local-arterial fibrinolysis with urokinase for basilar artery occlusion and angioplasty with the use of a self-expandable stent for the site of the vertebral artery dissection was performed, and the basilar artery was partially recanalized. The patient's symptoms gradually improved. It should be emphasized that in cases of acute cervical spine injury after major trauma, vertebral artery dissection should be considered. Local-arterial fibrinolysis and angioplasty using a self-expandable stent was regarded as a useful treatment for basilar artery occlusion caused by vertebral artery dissection, in the acute stage.

Arterial Occlusive Diseases↗

PubMed1997

MRI and MR angiography of vertebral artery dissection.

A review of 4,500 angiograms yielded 11 patients with dissection of the vertebral arteries who had MRI and (in 4 patients) MR angiography (MRA) in the acute phase of stroke. One patient with incidental discovery at arteriography of asymptomatic vertebral artery dissection and two patients with acute strokes with MRI and MRA findings consistent with vertebral artery dissection were included. Dissection occurred after neck trauma or chiropractic manipulation in 4 patients and was spontaneous in 10. Dissection involved the extracranial vertebral artery in 9 patients, the extra-intracranial junction in 1, and the intracranial artery in 4. MRI demonstrated infarcts in the brain stem, cerebellum, thalamus or temporo-occipital regions in 7 patients with extra- or extra-intracranial dissections and a solitary lateral medullary infarct in 4 patients (3 with intracranial and 1 with extra-intracranial dissection). In 2 patients no brain abnormality related to vertebral artery dissection was found and in one MRI did not show subarachnoid haemorrhage revealed by CT. Intramural dissecting haematoma appeared as crescentic or rounded high signal on T1-weighted images in 10 patients examined 3-20 days after the onset of symptoms. The abnormal vessel stood out in the low signal cerebrospinal fluid in intracranial dissections, whereas it was more difficult to detect in extracranial dissections because of the intermediate-to-high signal of the normal perivascular structures and slow flow proximal and distal to the dissection. In two patients examined within 36 h of the onset, mural thickening was of intermediate signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal on spin-density and T2-weighted images. MRA showed abrupt stenosis in 2 patients and disappearance of flow signal at and distal to the dissection in 5. Follow-up arteriography, MRI or MRA showed findings consistent with occlusion of the dissected vessel in 6 of 8 patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Magnetic resonance demonstration of vertebral artery dissection. Report of two cases.

Vertebral artery dissection may be spontaneous or related to some traumatic event. Diagnosis has usually been made by angiography, an invasive procedure with certain well-known risks. The authors describe the magnetic resonance (MR) appearance (both on conventional spin-echo and on gradient refocused "flow" sequences) in two patients with vertebral artery dissection confirmed by angiography. It is proposed that the less invasive MR imaging might be the imaging modality of choice for initial evaluation of suspected vertebral artery dissection.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Spontaneous carotid and vertebral artery dissection in children.

Carotid and vertebral artery dissection is a rarely reported cause of stroke in childhood and adolescence, especially if there is not a direct trauma to the neck. Four patients, under 15 years of age, presented with an internal carotid artery dissection, and one patient presented with a vertebral artery dissection. They were all making a physical effort when the event occurred. The five patients had ischemic symptoms, and in two the events were preceded by transient ischemic attacks. Headache was associated in four patients. The diagnosis was made by magnetic resonance imaging and angiography, which included transfemoral angiography in two patients. All improved before leaving the hospital, and four patients did not suffer recurrent episodes. The diagnostic accuracy of artery dissection has improved because of noninvasive neuroimaging testing, but it should still be suspected in any pediatric ischemic stroke, especially if there is headache or cervical pain associated.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Vertebral artery dissection: issues in diagnosis and management.

Vertebral artery dissection is an uncommon cause of stroke in children. Accuracy of diagnosis by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) instead of invasive transfemoral angiography (TFA) has been controversial. The need for anticoagulation and duration of such therapy is also arguable. We report 2 boys with vertebral artery dissection: one, aged 7 years, presented with hemiparesis and seizures and the other, aged 4 years, presented with ataxia. Each boy's initial MRA was not interpreted as delineating occlusive lesions to explain the posterior circulation infarcts visualized on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans. However, subsequent MRAs were suspicious for vertebral artery dissection, which was confirmed by TFA. Both children were treated with anticoagulation therapy. The first patient continued to manifest evidence of new infarcts despite treatment (initially with aspirin alone, followed by anticoagulation with heparin and warfarin), and is now maintained on a combination of high dose warfarin and aspirin. The second patient is now maintained on aspirin alone after initial anticoagulation for 6 months with heparin followed by warfarin. A high index of suspicion for vertebral artery dissection may allow diagnosis on the basis of MRA alone. Previous reports have indicated good outcomes of vertebral artery dissection in children and adults irrespective of anticoagulation treatment. Our experience suggests that anticoagulation may be beneficial in preventing further strokes caused by the dissection.

Aortic Dissection↗

PubMed1998

Stroke following vertebral artery dissection: a case study.

Vertebral artery dissection is an extremely rare but serious precursor to stroke. A case study illustrates how accurate early assessment and diagnosis can permit prompt intervention. Favorable treatment outcomes can occur when such astute management takes place.

Aortic Dissection↗

PubMed2000

Recognizing vertebral artery dissection in children: a case report.

Vertebral artery dissection is an unusual cause of stroke especially in children. The majority of dissections are thought to be caused by trauma although in many cases the trauma may be trivial. In other cases, certain underlying pathological processes are thought to be risk factors. We report a case of vertebral artery dissection in a 9-year-old child who presented with neurologic deficits suggestive of a posterior circulation stroke. The signs and symptoms of this unusual entity can be subtle and intermittent over a period of days to weeks; thus, making it very difficult to recognize. Therefore, it is important to consider the possibility of vertebral artery dissection in the differential diagnosis of neurologic deficits in children.

Cerebral Infarction↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Vertebral artery dissection due to minor neck trauma.

Vertebral artery dissection has been previously reported following minor head and neck trauma. Such activities as rapid head turning, tennis, yoga, and vigorous exercise have been implicated. We report a case of vertebral artery dissection following minor neck trauma suffered in a volleyball game. The anatomy of the vertebral artery, pathophysiology of dissection, and emergency department recognition and treatment of this disorder are discussed.

Adult↗