Carotid artery dissection (neck artery tear)

Description The carotid arterie...

Description

The carotid arteries branch off of the aorta and supply blood to your brain. A dissection is a tear in the inner lining of an artery. It may occur spontaneously or after trauma to the neck. The tear in the artery allows blood to leak into the artery wall which can result in blockage and decreased blood flow. This disorder is serious as about half of affected people suffer a stroke after the dissection. Dissections have been associated with motor vehicle accidents, blunt trauma to the neck, medical procedures, any exercise that involves rapid movements or stretching of the neck, and, rarely, with chiropractic neck manipulations. Patients with connective tissue diseases are at increased risk for this disease.

Symptoms

The symptoms experienced are primarily determined by the area of the brain to which blood flow is interrupted. They include: weakness (usually only on one side of the body), slurred speech, double vision, fainting, inability to talk, neck pain, numbness, headache, ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

Tests

Common tests used for diagnosis and treatment

Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. An angiogram, CT angiogram, or ultrasound will be performed to identify the dissection.

Tests:
Complete blood count (CBC), Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), CT Scan, Electrocardiogram (EKG), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Troponin, Ultrasound, X-ray

Other Specific Tests: CT angiogram, MR angiogram

Specialists:
Neurosurgery, Neurology, Pediatric Neurology, Pediatric Neurosurgery

Treatment

Therapy depends on the extent of dissection but includes: anticoagulation, endovascular repair, and/or surgical repair.