Hidden Telltale Signs in Hyperacute Ischemic Stroke Caused by Aortic Dissection: A Case Report and Post Hoc Analysis

Rapid identification of hidden telltale signs in hyperacute ischemic stroke caused by aortic dissection (AD) is challenging, mainly owing to the narrow time window for bridging therapy.

A 63-year-old man was referred for sudden right-side weakness accompanied by a decreased level of consciousness for almost 1 hour and 37 minutes. He had a history of hypertension. His skin was clammy, and on physical examination, there was involuntary chest thumping in the left upper limb. Hyperacute cerebral infarction was considered after no bleeding was observed on emergency head computed tomography, and intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase was administered immediately after. The patient was then taken to the catheter room, ready for endovascular thrombectomy. Stanford type A AD was found by cerebral angiography before endovascular thrombectomy. The infusion of alteplase was stopped immediately during cerebral angiography, but the patient's blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen were still declining progressively, and the degree of consciousness disturbance deepened. The patient died after the combined but failed rescue attempts of multiple departments.

Hyperacute ischemic stroke caused by AD often hides some telltale signs. Clinicians should master basic clinical skills to exclude AD by looking for these telltale signs hidden in hyperacute ischemic stroke to avoid the fatal consequences of intravenous thrombolysis and/or cerebral angiography within the narrow window of time.