Neurogenic pulmonary oedema secondary to vertebral artery dissection while playing tennis

A Sudden Unilateral Visual Field Loss in a Recreational Tennis Player: Cervical Internal Carotid Artery Dissection Associated With Low-Impact Sports

Traumatic cervical internal carotid artery dissection (CICAD) is a rare condition caused by blunt trauma to the neck, often through automobile- or sports-related collisions, assaults, or falls. Herein, we report an unusual case in which engaging in a low-impact sport (tennis) caused CICAD, without a direct injury. A 56-year-old man with hypertension suddenly experienced a visual field loss in his right eye while playing tennis. Carotid echocardiography revealed severe stenosis of the right internal carotid artery (ICA). Angiography revealed severe and irregular stenosis of the right ICA from the bifurcation to the petrous portion, suggesting CICAD. Upon admission, the patient had left upper visual field defects in his right eye and neck pain. Antiplatelet therapy was initiated with prasugrel (3.75 mg/day), with the intent to treat surgically if the stenosis or symptoms progressed. Follow-up angiography and magnetic resonance imaging showed gradual resolution of the stenosis, and the patient was discharged on day 28 with a modified Rankin Scale score of 1. The CICAD should be considered as a diagnosis for neurological symptoms, even in the context of low-impact sports such as tennis. Antithrombotic therapy is a reasonable first-line treatment for stable CICAD.

[A case of neurogenic pulmonary edema due to left internal carotid artery occlusion]

A 79-year-old woman developed consciousness disturbance, left eye deviation, right hemiplegia and aphasia with hypoxemia. Chest X-ray showed bilateral pulmonary edema. MRI revealed the left internal carotid artery occlusion and entire left middle cerebral artery infarct including insular cortex. We performed mechanical thrombectomy therapy and TICI3 recanalization was obtained. During operation, the respiratory condition deteriorated and the ventilator was started after mechanical thrombectomy therapy. Chest X-ray showed butterfly shadow, which indicated pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema improved on the 2nd day of onset, and disappeared on the 3rd day. There was no heart diseases such as Takotsubo myocardiopathy, acute cardiac failure and cardiomyopathy on echocardiography and electrocardiography. Therefore, we diagnosed her as having neurogenic pulmonary edema due to cerebral infarction including insular cortex. We consider that left insular cortex infarction was a trigger of neurogenic pulmonary edema. If hypoxemia associated with infarction including the insular cortex, neurogenic pulmonary edema should be considered for medical treatment.

Vertebral Artery Dissection in Sport: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Vertebral artery dissection (VAD) is a potentially catastrophic injury that may occur during sports participation. A comprehensive review is needed to collate documented cases to improve understanding and inform future preventative approaches.

OBJECTIVE

This review aimed to understand the extent of VAD in sport and characterise trends suggestive of mechanisms of injury.

METHODS

Electronic databases were searched using terms related to VAD and sport. Records were included if they described one or more cases of VAD attributed to sport.

RESULTS

A total of 79 records described 128 individual cases of VAD in sport, of which 118 were confirmed by imaging or autopsy and included in analyses. Cases were attributed to 43 contact and non-contact sports. The median age of cases was 33 years (IQR 22-44), and 75% were male. There were 22 cases of fatal injury, of which ten involved an impact to the mastoid region and seven involved an impact to the head or neck. Non-fatal cases of VAD were attributed to impact to the head or neck (not mastoid region), movement or held position without impact, and in some cases no reported incident.

CONCLUSIONS

VAD attributed to sports participation is uncommonly reported and the mechanisms are varied. Impact to the mastoid region is consistently implicated in fatal cases and should be the focus of injury prevention strategies in sport. Efforts may also be directed at improving the prognosis of cases with delayed presentation through clinical recognition and imaging. The review was registered on the international prospective register for systematic reviews ( http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO ) (CRD42018090543).