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Case Reports
. 2021 Jan 20;13(1):e12810.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.12810.

An Internal Carotid Artery Dissection Masquerading as Optic Neuritis: A Case Report

Krishin Nandwani  1 , Shin Ying Thng  2 , Poongkulali Anaikatti  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

An Internal Carotid Artery Dissection Masquerading as Optic Neuritis: A Case Report

Krishin Nandwani et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Carotid artery dissection is an important cause of stroke, especially in the young. We present a 43-year-old lady, with a known background of headaches, who was referred to the Emergency Department with a headache, dilated pupil, and acute monocular blurring of vision. She was later found to have an internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) with diffuse ipsilateral hemispheric involvement after being initially managed for atypical optic neuritis. This case report aims to provide further insight into an atypical presentation of a carotid artery dissection, with the intent of assisting the clinician in identifying such cases during the initial presentation.

Keywords: arterial emboli; internal carotid artery (ica); optic neuritis; stroke; dissection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. MRI Brain demonstrating areas of acute non-haemorrhagic infarcts
Figure 2
Figure 2. CT angiogram demonstrating severe attenuation of right internal carotid artery (ICA) just beyond take-off and poor opacification up to cavernous segment. Motion artefacts degrade quality of picture.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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