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.