title: Spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency.
abstract: Spontaneous cervical arterial dissection is an important cause of juvenile stroke. However, etiopathology and genetic background remain poorly understood. We report on a 45-year-old-male patient with homozygous alpha-1-antitrypsin (alpha-1-AT) deficiency in whom internal carotid artery dissection occurred in the absence of any other known risk factors. The relevance of alpha-1-AT deficiency for spontaneous cervical arterial dissections is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany. konradc@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Konrad
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Junker
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dziewas
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Henningsen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stögbauer
mesh_terms: D020215:Carotid Artery, Internal, Dissection / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D019896:alpha 1-Antitrypsin Deficiency / Q000150:complications*