Internal carotid artery dissection following canalith repositioning procedure

To highlight the possibility of internal carotid artery dissection following canalith repositioning procedures.

A 52-year-old woman with right posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo sustained a right carotid artery dissection following a canalith repositioning procedure. The patient also had profound mixed hearing loss associated with otosclerosis, so underwent simultaneous cochlear implantation and occlusion of her posterior semicircular canal, following completion of anticoagulation therapy for her dissection.

While internal carotid artery trauma is a rare adverse outcome following canalith repositioning procedures, clinicians should be aware of this possibility if patients report unusual symptoms following such procedures.