In Japan, the vertebral artery is the most frequent site of cerebral artery dissection, which often causes strokes. Recently, non-invasive imaging, such as MR angiography, has been developed for the diagnosis of cerebral artery dissection, as it can detect characteristic findings such as an intimal flap or a double lumen. However, clinical evidence indicating optimal therapeutic strategies has not yet been established because patients present various pathologies (e.g., subjective symptoms without neurologic findings, ischemic, or hemorrhagic stroke).
Conservative therapy, including antithrombotic therapy, is widely used for the treatment of non-hemorrhagic cerebral artery dissection that presents ischemic symptoms. Although it generally results in good clinical outcomes, detailed pathophysiology of progression or regression remains unknown. In contrast, a hemorrhagic cerebral artery dissection is treated with surgical intervention to prevent fatal rebleeding, as well as non-hemorrhagic cerebral artery dissection with progressive lesion and stroke.
Recently, endovascular treatment has been selected in especially posterior intracranial artery dissections due to the development of new devices such as stents and flow diverters. Herein, we review the diagnosis and endovascular treatment of the vertebral artery dissection.
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