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“Congenital” Horner's Syndrome and Carotid Dissection
Author(s) -
Robertson William C.,
Pettigrew L. Creed
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of neuroimaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1552-6569
pISSN - 1051-2284
DOI - 10.1111/j.1552-6569.2003.tb00207.x
Subject(s) - medicine , carotid artery dissection , dissection (medical) , horner syndrome , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology , magnetic resonance angiography , internal carotid artery , ultrasonography , surgery
The authors describe a child presenting with Horner's syndrome after the repeated application of birthing forceps to the head and neck during vaginal delivery. Magnetic resonance imaging and angiography confirmed that the proximal right internal carotid artery (ICA) showed injury caused by dissection. Carotid duplex and transcranial ultrasonography provided supporting evidence of distal right ICA occlusion with the development of intracranial collaterals. The authors interpret these findings to indicate that the child suffered a traumatic dissection of the distal right ICA to mimic “congenital” Horner's syndrome (CHS). In a review of English medical literature published since 1972, the authors found 70 cases of CHS, none of which was attributed to carotid dissection. This case demonstrates that carotid dissection is an underreported cause of CHS.