Beauty parlor stroke syndrome while drying hair at home

Stroke after taking up a hanging head-hyperextended position during activities of daily living

Abstract

We report the case of a 30-year-old man who experienced beauty parlor stroke syndrome resulting in brainstem infarction. Over the previous 3 years, he had dried his hair with a drier every day in a hanging head-hyperextended position while lying down on a sofa. He developed headache and vertigo after performing neck rotation in the same head position. Neurological examinations on admission revealed gaze nystagmus, dysarthria, dysphagia and left limb ataxia. T2 weighted MRI on day 2 disclosed a high intensity area in the left lateral medulla. Intramural hematoma of the left vertebral artery at the V3 portion was also found. Cerebral angiography on day 5 demonstrated string signs of the left vertebral artery in the same portion. The patient was diagnosed as having lateral medullary infarction caused by dissection of the vertebral artery. Beauty parlor stroke syndrome, i. e. stroke that occurs following assumption of a hanging headhyperextended position, is one of the potential risks that face even the younger generation.