Carotid artery dissection

Carotid artery dissection is a separation of the layers of the artery wall supplying oxygen-bearing blood to the head and brain and is the most common cause of stroke in young adults. (In vascular medicine, dissection is a blister-like de-lamination between the outer and inner walls of a blood vessel, generally originating with a partial leak in the inner lining.) Carotid artery dissection is a separation of the layers of the artery wall supplying oxygen-bearing blood to the head and brain and is the most common cause of stroke in young adults. (In vascular medicine, dissection is a blister-like de-lamination between the outer and inner walls of a blood vessel, generally originating with a partial leak in the inner lining.) Dissection may occur after physical trauma to the neck, such as a blunt injury (e.g. traffic collision), strangulation or chiropractic manipulation, but may also happen spontaneously. The signs and symptoms of carotid artery dissection may be divided into ischemic and non-ischemic categories: Non-ischemic signs and symptoms Ischemic signs and symptoms