Vertebral artery dissection presenting as acute cerebrovascular accident.
Vertebral artery dissection is a lesser known but significant cause of stroke in young, healthy people. Given its infrequency of presentation, emergency physicians may not always recognize its common symptoms--vertigo, diplopia, ataxia, and dysarthria--as a stroke. In this case report, we describe a patient with vertebral artery dissection presenting with atypical symptoms and discuss the epidemiology, risk factors, presentation, clinical examination findings, imaging modalities, and treatment of this disease.
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Sabrina N
SN
Kratz
Kenneth H
KH
Butler
D000328:Adult; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020217:Vertebral Artery Dissection / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging