Spontaneous Bilateral Vertebral Artery Dissection as a Rare Cause of Posterior Circulation Stroke in a Young Patient

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 7; p. e65738
• Main Authors: Pantbalekundri, Nikhil, Gaidhane, Shilpa A, Malali, Suprit, Nelakuditi, Manikanta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 30.07.2024; Cureus
• Subjects: Case reports; Genetic disorders; Internal Medicine; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medical imaging; Neurology; Radiology; Stroke; Veins & arteries; vertebral artery dissection; traumatic vertebral artery dissection; spontaneous vertebral artery dissection; posterior circulation stroke; stroke in the young
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.65738

In young patients, ischemic stroke is an uncommon result of vertebral artery dissection (VAD). Damage to the vertebrae can occur suddenly or as a result of trauma. There are no generally recognized recommendations for diagnosis and treatment, and the majority of vague symptoms and delayed presentation provide a significant diagnostic problem. While medical management with anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy is advised, no successful dual therapy has been documented. Although traumatic dissection is a more frequent cause of posterior cerebral circulation stroke in people under 45 years of age than spontaneous dissection, spontaneous VAD is well-reported and usually treated with anticoagulation. VAD can result in fatal complications such as basilar area infarction, even though it is often asymptomatic. Here is a case of a 37-year-old male who presented with a posterior circulation stroke after bilateral VAD with no evidence of trauma to the neck and no detectable cause suggesting spontaneous etiology.