Spontaneous dissection of the carotid and vertebral arteries: features in the stroke subpopulation

Abstract

Aim. To identify the characteristic features of patients after ischemic stroke (IS), probably associated with spontaneous dissection of the extracranial sections of carotid and vertebral arteries, and compare such patients with persons with IS of other genesis.Material and methods. The comparison group without signs of dissection included 1326 patients who had IS. The main group of patients with signs of dissection included 122 people aged 54,46±14,68 (21-84) years, 48 (39,3%) women and 74 (60,7%) men, among whom 106 people had IS. The dissection was determined by computed tomographic angiography and/or magnetic resonance angiography and/or duplex ultrasound.Results. Patients with dissection were significantly younger than those without it (p<0,001) and had a lower body mass index (BMI) (p<0,001). There was no relationship between the dissection location and sex and age (p>0,05). In the group with the same location of the infarction and dissection, adjusted for age, vertebrobasilar system involvement were more common (p=0,033), while the proportion of men was significantly higher (p=0,021), and the patients were significantly younger (p=0,027).Conclusion. Patients with dissection of the carotid and/or vertebral arteries were significantly younger than those without it. We found that in patients with dissection, BMI was significantly lower and depended on age, while in patients without dissections, BMI did not depend on age. A number of differences were identified in the group of patients with stroke likely associated with dissection, in comparison with those with strokes of another genesis.