CASE REPORT Isolated Posterior Cerebral Artery Dissection: Report of Three Cases

SUMMARY: Isolated dissection of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) is a rare but important cause of stroke in younger patients, particularly women. We present 3 cases of dissection of the P2 segment of the PCA. In 2 patients, an association with minor axial head trauma was documented, suggesting shearing injury of the PCA as it crosses over the free edge of the tentorium. The clinical and imaging findings are discussed, and the therapeutic management is reviewed. Extracranial and intracranial arterial dissection is an impor-tant cause of stroke in younger patients. Intracranial arte-rial dissections most often involve the vertebrobasilar system and, less commonly, the middle and anterior cerebral arter-ies.1-11 Isolated dissection of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) is rare,12-18 but accurate diagnosis is important for ap-propriate clinical management. We present 3 cases of dissec-tion of the P2 segment of the PCA, 2 of which occurred in association with minor head trauma