Irregularity of VA contour from intimal tear or subadventitial hematoma
IMAGING
General Features
CT Findings
MR Findings
Angiographic Findings
Imaging Recommendations
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
PATHOLOGY
General Features
Gross Pathologic & Surgical Features
Microscopic Features
CLINICAL ISSUES
Presentation
Demographics
Natural History & Prognosis
Treatment
DIAGNOSTIC CHECKLIST
Consider
Image Interpretation Pearls
Selected References
Kim MK et al: Conservative management of unruptured spontaneous intracranial vertebral artery dissection. World Neurosurg. 126:e402-9, 2019
Saw AE et al: Vertebral artery dissection in sport: a systematic review. Sports Med. 49(4):553-64, 2019
Saw AE et al: Vertebral artery dissection in sport: expert opinion of mechanisms and risk-reduction strategies. J Clin Neurosci. 68:28-32, 2019
Hongo H et al: Dermatomal sensory manifestations in lateral medullary infarction. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 23(1):182-3, 2014
Kidoh M et al: MR diagnosis of vertebral artery dissection: value of 3D time-of-flight and true fast imaging with steady-state precession fusion imaging. Insights Imaging. 4(1):135-42, 2013
Ahn SS et al: Spontaneous symptomatic intracranial vertebrobasilar dissection: initial and follow-up imaging findings. Radiology. 264(1):196-202, 2012
Burlew CC et al: Blunt cerebrovascular injuries: redefining screening criteria in the era of noninvasive diagnosis. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 72(2):330-5; discussion 336-7, quiz 539, 2012
Gottesman RF et al: Clinical characteristics of symptomatic vertebral artery dissection: a systematic review. Neurologist. 18(5):245-54, 2012
Gottesman RF et al: Imaging characteristics of symptomatic vertebral artery dissection: a systematic review. Neurologist. 18(5):255-60, 2012
Haynes MJ et al: Assessing the risk of stroke from neck manipulation: a systematic review. Int J Clin Pract. 66(10):940-7, 2012
Kennedy F et al: Antiplatelets vs anticoagulation for dissection: CADISS nonrandomized arm and meta-analysis. Neurology. 79(7):686-9, 2012
Matsukawa H et al: Differences in vertebrobasilar artery morphology between spontaneous intradural vertebral artery dissections with and without subarachnoid hemorrhage. Cerebrovasc Dis. 34(5-6):393-9, 2012
Fusco MR et al: Cerebrovascular dissections--a review part I: spontaneous dissections. Neurosurgery. 68(1):242-57; discussion 257, 2011
Fusco MR et al: Cerebrovascular dissections: a review. Part II: blunt cerebrovascular injury. Neurosurgery. 68(2):517-30; discussion 530, 2011
Burlew CC et al: Blunt cerebrovascular trauma. Curr Opin Crit Care. 16(6):587-95, 2010
Campbell-Lloyd AJ et al: Vertebral artery dissection after direct laryngoscopy: case report and literature review. J Laryngol Otol. 123(2):e11, 2009
Kawakami Y et al: An 8-year-old boy with vertebral artery dissection with cerebellar ataxia featuring suspected vertebral artery hypoplasia. Brain Dev. 31(4):326-30, 2009
Kesser BW et al: Contemporary management of penetrating neck trauma. Am Surg. 75(1):1-10, 2009
Kocaeli H et al: Spontaneous intradural vertebral artery dissection: a single-center experience and review of the literature. Skull Base. 19(3):209-18, 2009
Koh JS et al: Bilateral vertebral-artery-dissecting aneurysm causing subarachnoid hemorrhage cured by staged endovascular reconstruction after occlusion. Cerebrovasc Dis. 27(2):202-4, 2009
Kulcsar Z et al: Vertebral artery dissection as an extremely rare cause of spinal epidural hematoma: case report and review of the literature. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 151(10):1319-23, 2009
Lee CK et al: Traumatic vertebral artery injury: detailed clinicopathologic and morphometric analysis of 6 cases. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 30(2):134-6, 2009
Lum C et al: Vertebral artery dissection with a normal-appearing lumen at multisection CT angiography: the importance of identifying wall hematoma. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 30(4):787-92, 2009
Park SI et al: Clinical and angiographic follow-up of stent-only therapy for acute intracranial vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 30(7):1351-6, 2009
Provenzale JM et al: Comparison of test performance characteristics of MRI, MR angiography, and CT angiography in the diagnosis of carotid and vertebral artery dissection: a review of the medical literature. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 193(4):1167-74, 2009
Provenzale JM: MRI and MRA for evaluation of dissection of craniocerebral arteries: lessons from the medical literature. Emerg Radiol. 16(3):185-93, 2009
Ramphul N et al: Caveats in the management and diagnosis of cerebellar infarct and vertebral artery dissection. Emerg Med J. 26(4):303-4, 2009
Richard S et al: Two cases of vertebral artery dissections with late stroke recurrences. J Neuroradiol. 36(3):175-7, 2009
Ro A et al: Intracranial vertebral artery dissection resulting in fatal subarachnoid hemorrhage: clinical and histopathological investigations from a medicolegal perspective. J Neurosurg. 110(5):948-54, 2009
Tan MA et al: Late complications of vertebral artery dissection in children: pseudoaneurysm, thrombosis, and recurrent stroke. J Child Neurol. 24(3):354-60, 2009
Yeh HF et al: Traumatic vertebral artery dissection and Wallenberg syndrome after a motorcycle collision. Am J Emerg Med. 27(1):131, 2009
Dirik E et al: Vertebral artery dissection in a patient with Wildervanck syndrome. Pediatr Neurol. 39(3):218-20, 2008
Hashimoto M et al: Conservative treatment of ruptured vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysm. Neurol Sci. 29(4):241-4, 2008
Redekop GJ: Extracranial carotid and vertebral artery dissection: a review. Can J Neurol Sci. 35(2):146-52, 2008
Rodallec MH et al: Craniocervical arterial dissection: spectrum of imaging findings and differential diagnosis. Radiographics. 28(6):1711-28, 2008
Tabatabai G et al: Vertebral artery dissection presenting with ispilateral acute C5 and C6 sensorimotor radiculopathy: a case report. Cases J. 1(1):139, 2008
Rabinov JD et al: Endovascular management of vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 24(7): 1421-8, 2003
Shin JH et al: Vertebral artery dissection: spectrum of imaging findings with emphasis on angiography and correlation with clinical presentation. Radiographics. 20(6): 1687-96, 2000
Related Anatomy
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Related Differential Diagnoses
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References
Tables
Tables
KEY FACTS
Terminology
Imaging
Top Differential Diagnoses
Pathology
Clinical Issues
Diagnostic Checklist
TERMINOLOGY
Abbreviations
Vertebral artery (VA) dissection
Definitions
Irregularity of VA contour from intimal tear or subadventitial hematoma
IMAGING
General Features
CT Findings
MR Findings
Angiographic Findings
Imaging Recommendations
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
PATHOLOGY
General Features
Gross Pathologic & Surgical Features
Microscopic Features
CLINICAL ISSUES
Presentation
Demographics
Natural History & Prognosis
Treatment
DIAGNOSTIC CHECKLIST
Consider
Image Interpretation Pearls
Selected References
Kim MK et al: Conservative management of unruptured spontaneous intracranial vertebral artery dissection. World Neurosurg. 126:e402-9, 2019
Saw AE et al: Vertebral artery dissection in sport: a systematic review. Sports Med. 49(4):553-64, 2019
Saw AE et al: Vertebral artery dissection in sport: expert opinion of mechanisms and risk-reduction strategies. J Clin Neurosci. 68:28-32, 2019
Hongo H et al: Dermatomal sensory manifestations in lateral medullary infarction. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 23(1):182-3, 2014
Kidoh M et al: MR diagnosis of vertebral artery dissection: value of 3D time-of-flight and true fast imaging with steady-state precession fusion imaging. Insights Imaging. 4(1):135-42, 2013
Ahn SS et al: Spontaneous symptomatic intracranial vertebrobasilar dissection: initial and follow-up imaging findings. Radiology. 264(1):196-202, 2012
Burlew CC et al: Blunt cerebrovascular injuries: redefining screening criteria in the era of noninvasive diagnosis. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 72(2):330-5; discussion 336-7, quiz 539, 2012
Gottesman RF et al: Clinical characteristics of symptomatic vertebral artery dissection: a systematic review. Neurologist. 18(5):245-54, 2012
Gottesman RF et al: Imaging characteristics of symptomatic vertebral artery dissection: a systematic review. Neurologist. 18(5):255-60, 2012
Haynes MJ et al: Assessing the risk of stroke from neck manipulation: a systematic review. Int J Clin Pract. 66(10):940-7, 2012
Kennedy F et al: Antiplatelets vs anticoagulation for dissection: CADISS nonrandomized arm and meta-analysis. Neurology. 79(7):686-9, 2012
Matsukawa H et al: Differences in vertebrobasilar artery morphology between spontaneous intradural vertebral artery dissections with and without subarachnoid hemorrhage. Cerebrovasc Dis. 34(5-6):393-9, 2012
Fusco MR et al: Cerebrovascular dissections--a review part I: spontaneous dissections. Neurosurgery. 68(1):242-57; discussion 257, 2011
Fusco MR et al: Cerebrovascular dissections: a review. Part II: blunt cerebrovascular injury. Neurosurgery. 68(2):517-30; discussion 530, 2011
Burlew CC et al: Blunt cerebrovascular trauma. Curr Opin Crit Care. 16(6):587-95, 2010
Campbell-Lloyd AJ et al: Vertebral artery dissection after direct laryngoscopy: case report and literature review. J Laryngol Otol. 123(2):e11, 2009
Kawakami Y et al: An 8-year-old boy with vertebral artery dissection with cerebellar ataxia featuring suspected vertebral artery hypoplasia. Brain Dev. 31(4):326-30, 2009
Kesser BW et al: Contemporary management of penetrating neck trauma. Am Surg. 75(1):1-10, 2009
Kocaeli H et al: Spontaneous intradural vertebral artery dissection: a single-center experience and review of the literature. Skull Base. 19(3):209-18, 2009
Koh JS et al: Bilateral vertebral-artery-dissecting aneurysm causing subarachnoid hemorrhage cured by staged endovascular reconstruction after occlusion. Cerebrovasc Dis. 27(2):202-4, 2009
Kulcsar Z et al: Vertebral artery dissection as an extremely rare cause of spinal epidural hematoma: case report and review of the literature. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 151(10):1319-23, 2009
Lee CK et al: Traumatic vertebral artery injury: detailed clinicopathologic and morphometric analysis of 6 cases. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 30(2):134-6, 2009
Lum C et al: Vertebral artery dissection with a normal-appearing lumen at multisection CT angiography: the importance of identifying wall hematoma. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 30(4):787-92, 2009
Park SI et al: Clinical and angiographic follow-up of stent-only therapy for acute intracranial vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 30(7):1351-6, 2009
Provenzale JM et al: Comparison of test performance characteristics of MRI, MR angiography, and CT angiography in the diagnosis of carotid and vertebral artery dissection: a review of the medical literature. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 193(4):1167-74, 2009
Provenzale JM: MRI and MRA for evaluation of dissection of craniocerebral arteries: lessons from the medical literature. Emerg Radiol. 16(3):185-93, 2009
Ramphul N et al: Caveats in the management and diagnosis of cerebellar infarct and vertebral artery dissection. Emerg Med J. 26(4):303-4, 2009
Richard S et al: Two cases of vertebral artery dissections with late stroke recurrences. J Neuroradiol. 36(3):175-7, 2009
Ro A et al: Intracranial vertebral artery dissection resulting in fatal subarachnoid hemorrhage: clinical and histopathological investigations from a medicolegal perspective. J Neurosurg. 110(5):948-54, 2009
Tan MA et al: Late complications of vertebral artery dissection in children: pseudoaneurysm, thrombosis, and recurrent stroke. J Child Neurol. 24(3):354-60, 2009
Yeh HF et al: Traumatic vertebral artery dissection and Wallenberg syndrome after a motorcycle collision. Am J Emerg Med. 27(1):131, 2009
Dirik E et al: Vertebral artery dissection in a patient with Wildervanck syndrome. Pediatr Neurol. 39(3):218-20, 2008
Hashimoto M et al: Conservative treatment of ruptured vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysm. Neurol Sci. 29(4):241-4, 2008
Redekop GJ: Extracranial carotid and vertebral artery dissection: a review. Can J Neurol Sci. 35(2):146-52, 2008
Rodallec MH et al: Craniocervical arterial dissection: spectrum of imaging findings and differential diagnosis. Radiographics. 28(6):1711-28, 2008
Tabatabai G et al: Vertebral artery dissection presenting with ispilateral acute C5 and C6 sensorimotor radiculopathy: a case report. Cases J. 1(1):139, 2008
Rabinov JD et al: Endovascular management of vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 24(7): 1421-8, 2003
Shin JH et al: Vertebral artery dissection: spectrum of imaging findings with emphasis on angiography and correlation with clinical presentation. Radiographics. 20(6): 1687-96, 2000
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