Juvenile stroke: Cervical artery dissection in a patient after a polytrauma

Abstract

Dissections of the cervical arteries cause about 20% of total juvenile strokes. Approximately 4% of the carotid artery dissections are due to a (poly)trauma such as car accidents. Despite improved diagnostic facilities, traumatic dissections are often underdiagnosed or diagnosed too late due to a lack of awareness of potential initial signs and symptoms. We report here a case of a delayed embolic stroke after a car accident caused by a dissection of the carotid artery and subsequent pseudoaneurysm. To reduce the long-term morbidity or mortality of multiple trauma patients, an early detection of cervical carotid and vertebral dissections is strictly necessary. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.