What is carotid artery dissection?

What is carotid artery dissection?

The carotid arteries are a pair of important blood vessels in your neck that supply blood to your brain. An arterial dissection is when a tear in the layers of an arterial wall allows blood to flow between the layers of the artery. This can happen in a variety of arteries in your body.

A carotid artery dissection is when there's a tear in the arterial wall in your carotid arteries. While there is a tear in the walls of the artery, your blood remains within your blood vessel and doesn’t result in bleeding outside of the blood vessel. But blood within the walls of your artery can compromise the flow of blood, leading to a slowing or complete blockage of blood flow to your brain.

Sometimes pain is the only sign of carotid artery dissection, but it also can lead to serious complications such as:

• Brain ischemia (not enough blood to your brain).
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding in the space that surrounds your brain).
• Stroke.
• Transient ischemic attack, also called TIA or mini-stroke.

It’s crucial to get a timely diagnosis and treatment to prevent complications or death.