Occult traumatic dissection of vertebral artery with an excellent outcome.
We present the case of a young male with severe head injury, cervico-thoracic fractures, and an initially unrecognized brainstem infarct due to unilateral dissection of vertebral artery, who made an unusually excellent recovery. This report stresses the importance of prompt clinico-imaging diagnosis and prophylactic anticoagulant treatment in such cases.
Stranjalis
G
G
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Athens, Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece. georgstr@compulink.gr
Papavlassopoulos
F
F
Kouyialis
A T
AT
Korfias
S
S
Bontozoglou
N
N
Sakas
D E
DE
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020526:Brain Stem Infarctions / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000209:etiology*; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009049:Motorcycles; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020217:Vertebral Artery Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D014859:Warfarin / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000925:Anticoagulants; D014859:Warfarin