title: Cervical artery dissection following a turbulent flight.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cervical artery dissection is a common cause of stroke in young patients without vascular risk factors and may affect the carotid or vertebral arteries. The risk of spontaneous dissection is higher in those with genetic predisposing factors while other cases may be precipitated by an event involving head or neck movement or associated with direct neck trauma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present the case of a previously well young woman with a history of migraine who developed internal carotid artery dissection following a turbulent short-haul commercial flight while restrained using a seatbelt.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose that repetitive flexion-hyperextension neck movements encountered during the flight were the most likely precipitant of carotid artery dissection in this case and review the therapeutic options available.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Age Assessment Unit, Department of Medicine, Division of Ageing and Therapeutics, Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, Ireland. colinjmquinn@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Declan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lyons
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D001359:Aviation; D020215:Carotid Artery, Internal, Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009068:Movement; D012622:Seat Belts