Headache as a Symptom of Carotid Web

Abstract

Headache is a frequent symptom in emergency department, especially in patients with hypertension. Carotid web, also known as the variant of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), is a rare disorder, found in only 1- 1.2 % of patients undergoing angiography, and it should be searched for in patients with cryptogenic stroke. We present a female hyper- tensive patient presented to emergency department with headache and visual symptoms, in whom further work-up revealed carotid web. A 46 years old female patient presented to the ED with headache occurring few days before the examination. It was a constant left temporal headache accompanied with flashes in the right half of the visual field. History taking revealed well-controlled hypertension with calcium channel antagonists. The first manifestation of hypertension was eclampsia during pregnancy. In emergency department normal neurologic status was obtained, brain CT scan was normal. Neurosonological examination revealed right carotid web, confirmed by MSCT angiography.