Snapshot
Volume 203 - Issue 8
Roller coasters and cervical artery dissection
Authors: Monica S Badve and Sandeep Bhuta
Med J Aust 2015; 203 (8): 339. || doi: 10.5694/mja15.00715
Published online: 19 October 2015
Published online: 19 October 2015
An unsuspected neck injury sustained during an amusement ride
A 42-year-old woman with no vascular risk factors was admitted with neck pain and right Horner syndrome after riding a roller coaster. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of her neck showed a characteristic crescent-shaped intramural haematoma in the right internal carotid artery1 (Figure, A), confirmed by magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) (Figure, B). T1-fat-suppressed MRI and arterial wall imaging are currently the most sensitive techniques for diagnosis of dissection. Riding roller coasters has been associated with shearing neck injury leading to cervical artery dissection.2 Our patient was treated with warfarin for 6 months, leading to the intramural haematoma resolving and the Horner syndrome greatly improving.
References
- Ozdoba C, Sturzenegger M, Schroth G. Internal carotid artery dissection: MR imaging features and clinical-radiologic correlation. Radiology 1996; 199: 191-198.
- Biousse V, Chabriat H, Amarenco P, Bousser MG. Roller-coaster-induced vertebral artery dissection. Lancet 1995; 346: 767.