Nonatherosclerotic nondissection diseases of carotid artery

Abstract

Nonatherosclerotic and nondissection diseases of carotid are often unrecognized clinical entity, primarily due to nonspecific imaging findings and unavailability of diagnostic tests. This entity comprises of wide spectrum of clinical conditions such as nonspecific arteritis, vasculitis, connective tissue diseases, infective processes, and some acquired conditions. Oftentimes, carotid involvement may be the first and only manifestation of these diseases. Ancillary clinical and examination findings lend clue to the underlying disease process and help the clinician to further investigate into the specific pathology. The list is exhaustive; however, some of the important disease entities and their clinical implications are reviewed in this chapter.