TRANSIENT MIGRAINE-LIKE SYMPTOMS WITH INTERVAL CAROTID-ARTERY DISSECTION

We report three patients with angiographically confirmed internal caro tid artery (ICA) dissection who presented with transient symptoms rese mbling migraine with aura. Marching impairments from one modality to a nother preceded recognition of the diagnosis of dissection and were no t associated with clinical or radiologic evidence of cerebral infarcti on. We review the clinical patterns in which ICA dissection may be ide ntified in the setting of migrainous symptoms, given the different the rapeutic approaches to migraine and dissection and the non-invasive me ans to diagnose dissection with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We o ffer mechanisms for recurrent neurologic symptoms in patients with ICA dissection. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.