title: HITS in internal carotid dissections.
abstract: Carotid dissections can cause neurological deficits either by hemodynamic or embolic mechanisms. Anticoagulants are often used in this setting to prevent neurological deterioration and stroke recurrence. High-intensity transient signals (HITS) detected by transcranial Doppler may be due to microembolism. We investigated the presence and number of HITS in a series of 27 patients with carotid dissection. HITS were detected in 14 (52%) patients and only in cases with a less than 7-day evolution. No association was found between HITS and clinical or imagiological features of the dissection nor with neurological aggravation or treatment type. We failed to demonstrate any relevant clinical significance of HITS in carotid dissection.
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit and Cerebral Hemodynamics Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ferro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial