Vertebral artery dissection

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Vertebral artery dissection Classification and external resources
Arteries of the neck
ICD-9	443.24
eMedicine	emerg/832

Vertebral artery dissection is the development of dissection (a flap-like tear) in the vertebral artery. It is commonly associated with physical trauma but may also develop spontaneously. It is a major cause of stroke in young people.

[edit] Presentation

Typical features are neck pain associated with stroke-like symptoms of the "posterior circulation": cranial nerve palsies, ataxia, and cortical visual loss.^[1] It can also cause subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding into the area around the brain); dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral artery represent about 4% of all aneurysms.^[2]

[edit] Incidence

The annual incidence is about 1 per 100,000 in the United States and 1.5 per 100,000 in France.^[2]

[edit] References

v • d • e Cardiovascular disease: vascular disease - Circulatory system pathology (I70-I99, 440-459) Arteries, arterioles and capillaries Arterial occlusive disease/ peripheral vascular disease Arteriosclerosis: Atherosclerosis - Intermittent claudication - Atheroma - Monckeberg's arteriosclerosis Stenosis (Renal artery stenosis, Carotid artery stenosis) - Fibromuscular dysplasia - Degos disease - Aortoiliac occlusive disease Raynaud's phenomenon/Raynaud's disease - Erythromelalgia Aneurysm Aortic aneurysm/Abdominal aortic aneurysm - Cerebral aneurysm - Coronary artery aneurysm - Intracranial berry aneurysm - Dissection (Aortic, Carotid, Vertebral) - Pseudoaneurysm Other Arteritis (Aortitis) - Buerger's disease Arteriovenous fistula - Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia Nevus (Spider angioma, Halo nevus, Cherry angioma) Veins Venous thrombosis/ Phlebitis/ Thrombophlebitis primarily lower limb (Deep vein thrombosis) abdomen (May-Thurner syndrome, Portal vein thrombosis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, Renal vein thrombosis) upper limb/torso (Paget-Schroetter disease, Mondor's disease) head (Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) Post-thrombotic syndrome Varicose veins Varicocele - Gastric varices - Portacaval anastomosis (Hemorrhoid, Esophageal varices, Caput medusae) Other Superior vena cava syndrome - Inferior vena cava syndrome - Venous ulcer Arteries or veins Vasculitis - Thrombosis - Embolism (Pulmonary embolism, Cholesterol embolism) - Angiopathy (Macroangiopathy, Microangiopathy) Lymphatic disease Lymphadenitis - Lymphedema - Lymphangitis Blood pressure Hypertension Hypertensive heart disease - Hypertensive nephropathy - Secondary hypertension (Renovascular hypertension) - Pulmonary hypertension Hypotension Orthostatic hypotension See also congenital, neoplasia