Left, Then Right Internal Carotid Artery Dissection: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION: We present a unique case of a patient who presented to the emergency department with stroke-like symptoms found to have a spontaneous, left-sided internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD). CASE REPORT: The patient was treated successfully with thrombectomy and subsequently developed contralateral symptoms caused by a right-sided ICAD. This was managed with a second contra-lateral thrombectomy. The patient's course was complicated by persistent and mild hypotension, postulated to be secondary to bilateral carotid baroreceptor trauma from the dissections. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the importance of close neurological monitoring for patients, preferably in a neurologic critical care setting, during and after invasive treatments such as systemic thrombolytic administration or mechanical thrombectomy. In this case, identifying the patient's subsequent development of contralateral symptoms in a timely fashion was key to his positive outcome. An additional factor that had a positive impact on this outcome was the use of artificial intelligence software, which assists in determining whether thrombectomy may be indicated prior to receiving a formal radiologist read on computed tomography angiography/perfusion studies. Artificial intelligence technology such as this has great potential to augment and expedite patient care.