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Common carotid artery dissection: A rare cause for cervical pain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

Kristine Hirth
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital, Mannheim, Germany.
Susanne Sander
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital, Mannheim, Germany.
Karl Hörmann
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital, Mannheim, Germany.

Abstract

Spontaneous dissections of extracranial carotid arteries occur most frequently in the internal carotid artery. In contrast, common carotid artery dissection (CCA) is a rare cause of cerebral ischaemia with only a few cases having been reported. We present the case of a 59-year-old male patient who was referred to our clinic with left cervical pain. The patient was otherwise asymptomatic. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed enhancement and double lumen in the left CCA without affecting the carotid bulb, internal carotid artery or aortic arch. We discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic management of the disease, focusing on its differentiation from other causes of cervical pain.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2002

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