Young stroke secondary to fibromuscular dysplasia causing carotid artery dissection

Abstract

Background: Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a rare, medium-sized arteriopathy affecting less than 7% of the population. It affects predominantly young women of childbearing age. Stroke caused by fibromuscular dysplasia of the carotid artery is uncommon and reported to range between 0.6% by angiography and 1.1% by autopsy. Case presentation: A 35-year-old mother of two children, previously well, was admitted to our hospital with right-sided spastic hemiparesis with upper motor neuron type facial nerve palsy. Non-contrast CT (NCCT) brain on admission revealed left-sided middle cerebral arterial territory infarction with possible hemorrhagic transformation with midline shift. She had progressive neurological features where NCCT brain in 24 hours showed an increase in the size of the hemorrhage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, including angiogram of neck vessels, revealed acute dissection of the left internal carotid artery with acute thrombosis, left frontoparietal hemorrhagic infarction, and the constellation of MRI showed features suggestive of left cervico-cranial fibromuscular dysplasia complicated by acute internal carotid artery dissection. She was started on low-dose aspirin, and 40 mg of atorvastatin and anticoagulants were not started because of the bleeding risk as she had a hemorrhagic transformation infarction. She was discharged and referred for inward physiotherapy and planned to repeat the MRI brain with the neck vessel angiogram in three weeks and arranged digital subtraction angiography in three months. Unfortunately, she was lost for follow-up. Conclusion: Detailed evaluation of the young patients with ischaemic stroke is helpful to diagnose rare diseases such as FMD involving carotid arteries leading to a better treatment choice between anticoagulation vs. antiplatelet therapy