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Bilateral spontaneous dissection of extracranial vertebral arteries

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Summary

A previously healthy 35-year-old man suddenly developed vertebrobasilar ischaemia while playing tennis. Cerebral arteriography revealed a dissecting aneurysm of the cervical portion of both vertebral arteries. The neurological deficit and the angiographic features resolved with anticoagulant treatment alone. Only 15 patients with non-traumatic extracranial vertebral artery dissection have been previously reported. It is necessary to recognize the condition very quickly, because the authors consider that anticoagulation is required as an emergency.

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Leys, D., Lesoin, F., Pruvo, J.P. et al. Bilateral spontaneous dissection of extracranial vertebral arteries. J Neurol 234, 237–240 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00618256

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00618256

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