Carotid artery dissections usually have a good prognosis and should be thought as a potential etiology of stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) in young patients. Noninvasive imaging techniques, in particular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (T1- and T2-weighted, fat-suppressed T1) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of head and neck with and/or without gadolinium, should be used routinely for screening of patients with internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection. Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) can be an alternative or adjunctive diagnostic technique used for evaluation of dissection. Conventional angiography should be reserved for selected cases where the diagnosis remains indeterminate after initial studies have been performed. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the best therapeutic options for patients with arterial dissection.
Carotid artery, internal, dissection; Carotid artery diseases; Aneurysm, dissecting
