Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 May 1;13(2):451-3.
eCollection 2014 May.

An Unusual Case of Traumatic Internal Carotid Artery Dissection during Snowboarding

George Kalantzis  1 , Ilias Georgalas  2 , Bernard Y P Chang  3 , Chin Ong  3 , Nabil El-Hindy  4
Affiliations

An Unusual Case of Traumatic Internal Carotid Artery Dissection during Snowboarding

George Kalantzis et al. J Sports Sci Med. .

Abstract

The presentation of Horner's syndrome following blunt trauma is uncommon, but is of important clinical significance. Identification of the constellation of signs of Horner's syndrome should, therefore, prompt urgent neuro-radiologic imaging. Early diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment can lead to excellent outcomes in the majority of cases and prevent devastating cerebral ischaemic damage. A progressive case of Horner's syndrome following blunt injury to the neck in an amateur snowboarder is presented. Key pointsBlunt injury to the neck can result in Horner's syndrome.Horner's syndrome should alert clinicians to the possibility of a silent ICAD.MRI and MRA of the head and neck constitute the imaging modality of choice to look for ICAD.The treatment of choice for ICAD is anticoagulation for 3-6 months.

Keywords: Horner’s syndrome; amaurosis fugax; anisocoria; snowboard.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Photograph of patient, demonstrating left-sided Horner’s syndrome (with permission).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Bell R.L., Atweh N., Ivy M.E., Possenti P. (2001) Traumatic and iatrogenic Horner syndrome: case reports and review of the literature. The Journal of Trauma 51, 400-404 - PubMed
    1. Chan C., Paine M., O’Day J. (2001) Carotid dissection: a common cause of Horner’s syndrome. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology 29, 411-415 - PubMed
    1. Demetriades A.M., Miller N.R., Garibaldi D.C. (2009) Bilateral internal carotid artery dissection presenting as isolated unilateral Horner syndrome. Journal of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 25, 485-486 - PubMed
    1. Dziewas R., Konrad C., Drager B., Evers S., Besselmann M., Lüdemann P., Kuhlenbäumer G., Stögbauer F., Ringelstein E.B. (2003) Cervical artery dissection-Clinical features, risk factors, therapy and outcome in 126 patients. Journal of Neurology 250, 1179-1784 - PubMed
    1. Fletcher J., Davies P.T., Lewis T., Campbell M.J. (1995) Traumatic carotid and vertebral artery dissection in a professional jockey: a cautionary tale. British Journal of Sports Medicine 29, 143-144 - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources