title: Horner's Syndrome due to a Spontaneous Internal Carotid Artery Dissection after Deep Sea Scuba Diving.
abstract: Internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) is a rare entity that either results from traumatic injury or can be spontaneously preceded or not by a minor trauma such as sporting activities. It represents a major cause of stroke in young patients. The diagnosis should be suspected with the combination of Horner's syndrome, headache or neck pain, and retinal or cerebral ischaemia. The confirmation is frequently made with a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Although anticoagulation with heparin followed by vitamin-K-antagonists is the most common treatment, there is no difference in efficacy of antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs at preventing stroke and death in patients with symptomatic carotid dissection. We describe a patient with ICAD following deep sea scuba diving, who presented with Horner's syndrome and neck pain and was successfully treated with anticoagulants.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Unit, Miguel Servet Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Enrique
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9737-0803
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Alonso Formento
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Unit, Hospital Médico-Quirúrgico del Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, 23007 Jaén, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fernández Reyes
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Unit, Miguel Servet Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Blanca Mar
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Envid Lázaro
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Unit, Miguel Servet Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fernández Letamendi
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Unit, Hospital Médico-Quirúrgico del Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, 23007 Jaén, Spain.
authors.forename: Ryth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yeste Martín
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Unit, Hospital Médico-Quirúrgico del Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, 23007 Jaén, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Jódar Morente