title: Bilateral internal carotid artery dissection associated with prior syphilis: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Bilateral internal carotid artery dissection is a rare entity, and its presentation may include cerebral ischemia. We describe the case of a 69-year-old man with ischemic stroke and radiological evidence of intimal flap of both internal carotid arteries suggestive for dissection. During the hospitalization, our patient was found positive for a previous syphilis infection. We conducted a review of the literature, with evidence of a few cases of ischemic stroke presumably related to a prior syphilis. The absence of major cardiovascular risk factors in our patient leads us to believe that an etiopathogenetic link may exist between these two conditions.
authors.affiliation: Section of Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Policlinico G.B Rossi, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marangi
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit, Division of Neurology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moretto
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit, Division of Neurology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cappellari
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit, Division of Neurology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Micheletti
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit, Division of Neurology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Giampaolo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomelleri
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit, Division of Neurology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bovi
keywords: bilateral carotid dissection; ischemic stroke; neurosyphilis