Report of dissection of the internal carotid artery in three cases

Abstract

Whereas previously the dissection of arteries leading to the brain was thought to be a rare occurence, this diagnosis has been found more frequently in the last years as a result of newer imaging methods. Furthermore, in contrast to earlier opinions, there is a rather good prognosis for the recanalisation of the vessels and the restoration of the patient's health. In this paper, three cases with nearly typical constellation of symptoms and beneficial outcome are demonstrated. The related Doppler sonographical findings including duplex scan as well as the angiographical, computer tomographical and magnetic resonance tomography results are reported. It is to be noted that none of the three patients had a severe trauma or belonged to typical risk groups for a spontaneous dissection (Marfan's Syndrome, fibromuscular dysplasia).