spontaneous Dissection of the Internal Carotid Artery. Apropos of 7 Cases and a Review of the Literature

peer reviewedSince 1978, the authors have observed 7 cases of dissecting aneurysm in the internal carotid artery. Symptoms were severe headache and subsequent neurologic deficit in young persons (3 women, 4 men; mean age 35 years). The underlying pathology was spontaneous dissection of the cervical internal carotid artery, with surgical confirmation in 3 cases and typical angiographic patterns in all cases. Spontaneous dissection of the cervical internal carotid artery is being increasingly recognized as a cause of cerebral ischemia in young adults. Moreover this clinicopathologic event is more common than had previously been supposed. The etiology remains unclear, except in 15% of cases in which dystrophy of the media (Marfan's syndrome) is in cause. No history of cervical trauma can be found. Typical clinical features consist in ipsilateral headache preceding an abrupt neurologic deficit in a 40-year-old person. An incomplete Horner syndrome (oculosympathetic paresis without facial anhidrosis) associated with facial pain and numbness is pathognomonic, but the majority of dissections are less typical. The typical angiographic pattern is an elongated regular stenosis of the high cervical internal carotid artery, 2 cm above the non-involved bulbus ("string sign"). The dissection may modify to a tapered occlusion above the point of origin of the internal carotid artery. The natural course is spontaneous resolution of the stricture, without relapse. Optimal management is non-operative since medical treatment has proved to be efficient. These cases confirm the benign course and overall good prognosis of spontaneous dissections of the internal carotid artery which are not as rare as the scarcity of reports might indicate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS