Dissection of the common carotid artery: a case report

Carotid artery dissection is an important cause of stroke in patients under forty years of age. A dissection of the common carotid artery is relatively rare. This condition can easily be overlooked because symptoms may be lacking or may seem trivial. Carotid artery dissection occurs mostly in previously healthy patients. Urgent treatment however, by means of coumarines or antiplatelet agents, is of life-saving importance, because this disease can lead to permanent neurological deficits or even death. We report a case of a 36-year-old patient who was admitted to the intensive care unit with hemi-paralysis and acute abdomen after a period of severe vomiting. A perforated bulbar ulcer was visible on abdominal CT scan. The patient underwent laparoscopic repair of the perforation. CT scan of the brain showed an extensive area of infarction at the region of the left medial cerebral artery. The cause of the infarction was revealed by angio CT of the supra-aortic arteries, showing a floating thrombus and a possible dissection of the left common carotid artery. Under Clopidogrel therapy, the right-sided paralysis partially recovered. Ten days post-admission, an endarterectomy of the left carotid artery was successfully performed. The patient recovered well and was discharged from the ICU 28 days after admission.