A Case of Juvenile Stroke due to Carotid Artery Dissection from an Elongated Styloid Process—Revisiting Conservative Management

Abstract

Carotid artery dissection is a significant etiology of juvenile stroke. Blunt trauma from an elongated styloid process can rarely cause carotid artery dissection, which is one of well-known clinical presentations of Eagle's syndrome as known as stylocarotid syndrome. Growing number of publications contributed improved awareness and diagnostic modalities for this clinical entity, thus the carotid artery dissection from an elongated styloid process is often diagnosed appropriately. The management of carotid artery dissection in stylocarotid syndrome tends to be nonconservative (ie, removal of the process or carotid stenting) presumably due to a publication bias prone to surgical intervention. However, the compression of elongated styloid process to carotid artery is usually difficult or even dangerous to directly prove. Furthermore, stent fracture with subsequent stent and carotid artery occlusion has been reported as a complication of the treatment. Here, we report a male presenting with acute embolic stroke due to carotid artery dissection with the ipsilateral elongated styloid process who has been managed conservatively for more than 1.5 years without any sequelae. We will discuss the management strategy and emphasize the importance of patient education of daily life, since the surgical intervention seems not always necessary in this clinical setting.