Management of cervical arterial dissection.
BACKGROUND
Clinical, pathological and radiological advances in recent years have considerably advanced our understanding of the incidence and underlying mechanisms producing dissection of the cervical arteries, which should have implications for medical and, surgical therapy in the near future. This review is a summary of progress to date.


RESULTS
Numerous published studies, primarily over the last decade, have generated a rapidly evolving data base especially in the areas of etiology, neuroimaging and more recently, arterial pathology and its genetic basis.


CONCLUSIONS
Dissection of the carotid and vertebral arteries, both intracranially and extracranially, is a major and frequently underdiagnosed cause of stroke, especially in the young. These advances in clinical epidemiological observations, and new radiological and pathological data, are gradually providing an evidence-based rationale for future trials of therapeutic interventions, using both drugs and devices.
Norris
John W
JW
Division of Clinical Neuroscience, St Georges Hospital Medical School, University of London, SW17 0RE, UK. carotid@btopenworld.com
Brandt
Tobias
T
D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D020215:Carotid Artery, Internal, Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000473:pathology; D020217:Vertebral Artery Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy