Arterial dissection refers to damage or tearing of the inner lining of an artery. This can result in blood entering the middle layers of the artery creating a blood-filled channel in between the blood vessel wall. This can result in a number of complications including:
- narrowing or occlusion of the blood vessel.
- blood clot formation at the site of injury which can further narrow the vessel lumen or dislodge and travel to the blood vessels in the brain resulting in stroke.
- Occasionally aneurysms can form at the site of damage to the lining of blood vessel which can cause bleeding in the brain.
There are many causes of dissection, the common causes include: physical trauma, high blood pressure or secondary to a number of medical conditions including Marfans or Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Dissections can also occur spontaneously or as a result of medical procedures.
Dissections are most frequently diagnosed via CT or MRI scans. Management traditionally involves thinning the blood with various anticoagulation or antiplatelet medications however some cases may require intervention with arterial stenting.