Reperfusion therapy in patients with acute ischaemic stroke caused by cervical artery dissection

Cervical artery dissection (CAD) is responsible for up to 20% of all ischaemic strokes in patients younger than 45. The benefits of acute-phase reperfusion therapy in these patients have yet to be confirmed. We conducted a retrospective review of patients with CAD admitted to a comprehensive stroke centre between 2010 and 2015. We recorded baseline clinical characteristics, treatments, functional outcomes, and mortality. We identified 35 cases of CAD (23 carotid/12 vertebral); mean age was 43.5 ± 9.5 years and 67.7% were men. Ten patients (32.3%) had a history of trauma. The most frequent risk factors were arterial hypertension (29%) and smoking (35.5%). The most common clinical presentation was ischaemic stroke (29 patients, 93.5%). The median baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score was 6 (range, 0-41). The most frequently used diagnostic method was CT angiography (74.2%), followed by MRI (64.5%) and digital subtraction angiography (45.6%). Seven patients (22.6%) were treated with intravenous fibrinolysis and 11 (35.5%) with endovascular treatment plus intravenous fibrinolysis; at 3 months, functional independence (modified Rankin Scale scores 0-2) was achieved by 57.1% and 63.6% of these cases, respectively. One patient died (3.2%). In our sample, the most common form of presentation of CAD was ischaemic stroke. Reperfusion therapy seems to be a safe and effective option for these patients, and outcomes resemble those of other patients with ischaemic stroke. Larger comparative studies are necessary to better assess response to reperfusion therapy in acute ischaemic stroke.