engleski

Diagnosis and monitoring of cranicervical artery dissection by means of color Doppler

Background: The localization of craniocervical dissection determines symptomatology. Besides headache, stroke, cranial nerve paralysis, patients may present with other clinical symptoms. Methods: Color Doppler Flow Imaging was applied in a variety of neurological clinical settings as a result of craniocervical artery dissection. The symptoms varied from fluctuating lower limb paraplegia, left arm fluctuating paresis, unexplained loss of consciousness up to usual clinical presentations of dissections like headache, stroke and cranial nerve palsies. Results: Dissections arising from aortic arch presented with different symptoms depending of its localization. In patients with headache, or stroke, usual site of the dissection was the distal portion of the internal carotid or vertebral artery. While in the first group of patients Color Doppler enabled visualisation of the double lumen, with no changes during time, in the second group color Doppler enabled visualisation of the hemathoma, localization of the occlusion, redistribution of the hemodynamic and activation of the collateral pathways. During time, in this group the regression of the hemathoma was visible. Conclusions: Craniocervical artery color Doppler is a noninvasive tool, enabling easy, noninvasive, bedside evaluation of the stroke patients and of the patients with other clinical symptoms as a result of craniocervical artery dissection.

craniocervical artery dissection; ultrasound

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