Atraumatic Vertebral Dissection in a Patient With Altered Mental Status
Author Type(s)
Resident/Fellow, Faculty
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2023
Journal Title
Cureus
Department
Medicine
Abstract
The most common manifestations of vertebral artery dissection in approximately 80% of patients are headaches or neck pain. We discuss a case of a 34-year-old patient who presented to the emergency department with altered mental status and nonspecific symptoms. A CT angiogram with intravenous contrast revealed a dissection of the left vertebral artery, and the patient was found to have thromboembolism in the right occipital lobe with ischemia on MRI. This case demonstrates the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis for patients who present with altered mental status and nonspecific symptoms such as headache and neck pain in order to adequately diagnose a potentially fatal condition.
Recommended Citation
Kana, T., Alsurakhi, D., Kawamj, A., Akerman, M. J., & Patel, N. (2023). Atraumatic Vertebral Dissection in a Patient With Altered Mental Status. Cureus, 15 (4), 36998-36998. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.36998
