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Updated: May 27, 2026

Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Occlusion as an Adequate Preconditioning Stimulus to Induce Early Ischemic Tolerance to Focal Cerebral Ischemia
07:46

Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Occlusion as an Adequate Preconditioning Stimulus to Induce Early Ischemic Tolerance to Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Published on: May 9, 2013

Repeated cerebral ischemia caused by extracranial carotid artery dolichoectasia

Hirokazu Sadahiro1, Hideyuki Ishihara, Hisaharu Goto

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery and Clinical Neuroscience, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan.

Journal of Neuroimaging : Official Journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
|November 16, 2011
PubMed

Insights

A rare case of ischemic stroke was caused by a dolichoectatic right common carotid artery, a condition where the artery widens and elongates. This led to reduced blood flow, thrombus formation, and cerebral embolism in a patient with multiple risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Vascular Surgery
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Cerebral embolism can result from various cardiovascular conditions.
  • Extracranial carotid artery dolichoectasia is a rare vascular anomaly.
  • Risk factors for atherosclerosis and stroke include hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report a rare case of recurrent cerebral embolism.
  • To investigate the association between dolichoectatic carotid artery and ischemic stroke.
  • To highlight the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in such cases.

Main Methods:

  • Case report of a 67-year-old male patient.
  • Clinical presentation with neurological deficits (left arm and leg weakness).
  • Diagnostic imaging including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Carotid Duplex Ultrasonography.

Main Results:

  • MRI confirmed fresh and old cerebral infarctions in the right hemisphere.
  • Carotid duplex ultrasonography revealed a dolichoectatic right common carotid artery (39 mm diameter) with significant plaque and reduced flow velocity.
  • Evidence of thrombus formation within the dilated artery was observed.

Conclusions:

  • Dolichoectasia of the extracranial carotid artery can be a cause of ischemic stroke and cerebral embolism.
  • Reduced flow velocity and thrombus formation in dolichoectatic arteries pose a significant risk.
  • Aggressive antithrombotic therapy is crucial for managing such conditions.

Keywords:
Dolichoectasiacommon carotid arteryflow velocitythrombus

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