Journal of the Neurological Sciences 250 (2006) 162 – 166
www.elsevier.com/locate/jns

Short communication

Two cases of spontaneous middle cerebral arterial dissection
causing ischemic stroke
Jin Soo Lee a,b , Oh Young Bang c,⁎, Phil Hyu Lee a , Byung Moon Kim d , Seok Woo Yong a
a

Department of Neurology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
b
Department of Neurology, Armed Forces Seoul Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
c
Department of Neurology, the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong,
Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710, South Korea
d
Department of Neuroradiology, Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
Received 14 September 2005; received in revised form 26 July 2006; accepted 28 July 2006
Available online 12 September 2006

Abstract
Spontaneous middle cerebral arterial dissection (MCAD) is a rare cause of ischemic stroke. We report two cases of isolated spontaneous
MCAD causing ischemic stroke. MCAD should be considered when a young patient has a middle cerebral artery territory infarct with
stenosis at the origin of the middle cerebral artery. We discuss noninvasive radiological techniques for the diagnosis of MCAD.
© 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Middle cerebral artery; Dissection; Angiography; Diffusion-weighted imaging

1. Introduction

2. Case report

Cervicocephalic arterial dissection must be considered in
the differential diagnosis of ischemic stroke in young patients.
Cervicocephalic arterial dissections usually involve the internal carotid and vertebral arteries, especially the extracranial
portions. Middle cerebral arterial dissection (MCAD) is rare
[1–3], and isolated spontaneous cases of MCAD are even
seldom reported [2]. The clinical and radiological aspects of
MCAD are poorly understood.
While digital subtraction angiography (DSA) has been the
gold standard for identifying cervicocephalic arterial dissections
[4,5], there is no consensus as to which angiographic tool is most
useful in the diagnosis of MCAD. DSA is an invasive procedure
with possible complications, so alternative noninvasive tools
must be sought. We report two cases of isolated spontaneous
MCAD causing ischemic stroke and discuss their clinical features and radiological characteristics, focusing on noninvasive
angiographic tools such as magnetic resonance angiography
(MRA) and computed tomographic angiography (CTA).

2.1. Patient 1

⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 2 3410 3599; fax: +82 2 3410 0052.
E-mail address: nmboy@unitel.co.kr (O.Y. Bang).
0022-510X/$ - see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jns.2006.07.006

A 24-year-old male developed aphasia 3 weeks before
admission and was referred to our department for further
evaluation. There, he experienced motor-type aphasia and mild
weakness in his right arm and leg. Six hours before the onset of
the focal symptoms, he felt a pain in the left ocular area. His
previous history was unremarkable, with no history of
migraine, head trauma, or vigorous neck movement. He had
fallen several times while skiing about 1 week before the onset
of his headache, but he denied any direct head or neck trauma.
On neurological examination, except for his difficulty in finding words, the other neurological deficits had disappeared. The
homocysteine and C-reactive protein levels were 7.5 μmol/L
(normal range, 5.0 to 15.0 μmol/L) and 0.03 mg/dl (normal
range, 0.02 to 0.80 mg/dl), respectively. The results of other
laboratory tests and cardiology evaluations were unremarkable.
Warfarin was prescribed to prevent thromboembolism.
The T2-weighted images, which were taken on admission
at 3 weeks after symptom onset, showed multiple scattered
infarcts of various sizes in the left middle cerebral artery

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(MCA) territory (Fig. 1A). There was no evidence of intramural hematoma on the T1- and T2-weighted images. DSA
showed an intimal flap and double lumen in the left proximal
MCA (Fig. 1B). A double lumen was also visible in the threedimensional time-of-flight (3-D TOF) MRA images (Fig. 1C),
while only smooth narrowing of the artery was observed in the
3-D surface-rendered CTA images (Fig. 1D). The thinsectioned axial source MRA images showed an intimal flap
(Fig. 1E), whereas only arterial narrowing was seen in the
maximum intensity projection (MIP) images from CTA
(Fig. 1F). The MCA dissection began 9.10 mm from the
posterior margin of the sphenoid wing on sagittal computed
tomography using the cross-link technique (Fig. 3A). All
other intracranial and extracranial cervicocephalic arteries
were intact in these angiographic studies.
2.2. Patient 2
A 50-year-old female experienced right-side hemiplegia
and aphasia 2 months previously. Two days before the onset

163

of the hemiplegia, she suffered an abrupt, continuous, pulsatile headache in the left temporoparietal area, which she had
never experienced previously. She was taken to a local
hospital and was managed for acute cerebral infarction,
which was demonstrated by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). She was referred to our department for further
evaluation. Her previous history included a 2-year history of
diabetes mellitus but was negative for migraine, head trauma,
or vigorous neck movement. On neurological examination,
her comprehension and ability to repeat were good, but she
showed paraphasic naming and had difficulty finding words.
Weakness and sensory change were found on the right side,
including the face. Other cranial and cerebellar functions
were intact. The homocysteine and C-reactive protein levels
were 9.1 μmol/L and 0.71 mg/dl, respectively. The results of
other laboratory studies and the cardiology work-up were
unremarkable. Aspirin was prescribed, and her symptoms did
not worsen over a 2-year follow-up period.
A large subcortical infarct with a small cortical infarct
was seen on diffusion-weighted images (DWI), which were

Fig. 1. A. The T2-weighted image shows multiple scattered infarcts of various sizes in the left cortex and subcortex. B. DSA reveals an intimal flap and double
lumen in the left proximal MCA (arrow). C. The 3-D time-of-flight MRA shows a double lumen in the left proximal MCA. D. The 3-D CTA image shows smooth
narrowing of the MCA. E. The thin-sectioned axial source MRA images document an intimal flap (arrowhead). F. The MIP images from CTA show mild MCA
stenosis. DSA: digital subtraction angiography; MCA: middle cerebral artery; MRA: magnetic resonance angiography; CTA: computed tomographic
angiography; MIP: maximum intensity projection.

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Fig. 2. A. A diffusion-weighted image shows the development of an internal border-zone infarct with an intra-infarct hemorrhage and additional small cortical
infarcts. B. DSA shows near occlusion and a suspicious double lumen in the left proximal MCA. C. The 3-D time-of-flight MRA images reveal irregular stenosis.
D. The 3-D CTA images show irregular stenosis. E. Thin-sectioned axial source MRA images document an intimal flap and small intramural hematoma at the
origin of the MCA (arrowhead). F. The MIP images from CTA show irregular stenosis. DSA: digital subtraction angiography; MCA: middle cerebral artery;
MRA: magnetic resonance angiography; CTA: computed tomographic angiography; MIP: maximum intensity projection.

taken at the time of onset (Fig. 2A). The T1- and T2weighted images did not show any definite intramural hematoma in the left proximal MCA. DSA showed near occlusion
and a suspicious double lumen in the left proximal MCA
(Fig. 2B). Irregular stenosis was visible in 3-D TOF MRA
and 3-D CTA (Fig. 2C and D). The thin-section axial source
MRA images showed an intimal flap and a small intramural
hematoma at the origin of the MCA (Fig. 2E), whereas the
MIP images from CTA showed only irregular stenosis
(Fig. 2F). The MCA dissection began 4.13 mm from the
posterior margin of the sphenoid wing on sagittal computed
tomography conducted using the cross-link technique
(Fig. 3B). All other intracranial and extracranial cervicocephalic arteries were intact in these angiographic studies.
3. Discussion
MCA territory infarctions have several etiologies. Atherosclerosis or embolisms are the main causes, but hematologic
disorders and hereditary or other vascular problems, including

arterial dissection, must be considered in stroke in younger
people. The clinical features, stroke mechanism, and radiological characteristics of MCAD are still not fully understood.
Spontaneous MCAD causing ischemic stroke is seldom reported. To our knowledge, there have been fewer than 20
cases, and these are often associated with internal carotid
arterial dissection or trauma [1–3]. MCAD might be underdiagnosed; in our stroke database, of 940 patients with
cerebral infarcts within the MCA distribution on diffusionweighted images, two patients (0.21%) were diagnosed as
having MCAD. The prevalence was even higher among the
patients who underwent DSA (1.3% of 150 patients).
Here, we report two cases of spontaneous isolated MCAD
causing ischemic stroke. Neither patient had any clinical,
laboratory, or radiological evidence of other well-known
factors, such as migraine, fibromuscular dysplasia, cystic
medial necrosis, intimal fibroelastic aberration, atherosclerosis, Marfan's syndrome, or Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, that
may cause intracranial arterial dissection. They also had no
history of head trauma or vigorous neck movement. Most

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165

Fig. 3. The relationship between the dissected MCA segment and the neighboring bony structure. The origin of the MCAD is located (A) 9.10 and (B) 4.13 mm
from the posterior margin of the sphenoid wing on sagittal computed tomography using the cross-link technique, in patient 1 and 2, respectively. MCA: middle
cerebral artery; MCAD: middle cerebral arterial dissection.

reported dissections involve the extracranial portion of the
carotid and vertebral arteries, which are much more vulnerable to dissection than are other sites. This may be owing
to the greater mobility of the extracranial internal carotid and
vertebral arteries and to the potential for them to be damaged
by contact with bony structures, such as the cervical vertebrae or styloid process. Although our cases occurred spontaneously, trauma might play a role in the development of
arterial dissection. In both patients, the MCAD began at the
site nearest the posterior margin of the sphenoid wing, with a
distance of less than 1 cm, suggesting that MCAD is associated with contact between the MCA and the bony edge.
This is supported by a recent report of traumatic MCA
occlusion [6]. Mobbs and Chandran [6] reviewed the pathogenesis based on the anatomy of the proximal MCA segment
and suggested that the part of the MCA most vulnerable to
minor trauma is the initial segment of the MCA, as seen in
our cases. Therefore, isolated MCA stenosis at the origin of
the MCA should undergo further vascular studies to rule out
the possibility of arterial dissection.
In this study, we confirmed MCAD using DSA because it
is still considered the gold standard by which to diagnose

arterial dissection [4,5]. In our patients, DSA showed a
double lumen, which is one of the pathognomonic findings
in arterial dissection. The demonstration of a surrounding
hematoma by MRI [7] or CTA [8] is another pathognomonic
finding of arterial dissection. In our patients, no intramural
hematoma was detected on the T1- or T2-weighted MRI
images, which were taken 3 weeks and 2 months after the
onset of the neurologic problems, respectively. The failure to
detect a hematoma in our cases might be caused by the small
size of the lumen and surrounding hematoma in the MCA, as
well as the delay before evaluation.
By contrast, in our cases, an intimal flap and double
lumen were documented by MRA despite the time since
symptom onset. Although MRA is regarded as a good
alternative and noninvasive method of imaging for cervicocephalic arterial dissection [9,10], its role is still unknown
in MCAD. In our cases, MRA, especially axial source imaging, was a sensitive tool capable of detecting an intimal
flap and double lumen, a definitive finding in dissection,
whereas the MIP images from CTA failed to provide any
additional diagnostic findings. The lower sensitivity of CTA
axial thin reconstructed images compared with the

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sensitivity of axial source MRA images may be caused by
the low resolution of the CTA technique. The MRA source
images may be particularly important for detecting MCAD
for two reasons. First, because the MCA and its intimal flap
run horizontally, the axial source MRA images may provide
the optimal cut of view to delineate the course of the MCA.
Second, while the pathognomonic features of dissection,
such as an intimal flap or a double lumen, are detected in
fewer than 10% of dissected arteries by using DSA [11],
MRA may directly visualize an intramural thrombus or
neighboring tissue [10]. Although it has not been determined which form of angiography is more helpful for the
diagnosis of MCAD, as it is very rare, our cases suggest that
axial source TOF MRA images are a sensitive alternative as
a noninvasive procedure.
The infarct pattern on DWI may be associated with the
pathogenic mechanism of stroke. Large subcortical infarcts
and multiple cortical infarcts were found in our patients.
However, it is difficult to suggest a mechanism of MCAD
now. Further perfusion and transcranial Doppler studies designed to detect microemboli are needed in more patients.
In summary, we report two cases of spontaneous MCAD
causing ischemic stroke. MCAD should be considered if a
patient has an MCA territory infarct with stenosis at the
origin of the MCA following a sudden ipsilateral headache.
An axial source MRA image may be useful for detecting the
intimal flap in MCA dissection.
Acknowledgement
This work was supported by the Korea Health 21 R&D
Project, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea
(0412-DB00-0101-007) to O.Y.B.

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