Beauty parlor stroke syndrome due to a bone fragment from an osteophyte of the atlas: case report

Vertebral artery stenosis from osteophyte: A systematic review and case series

BACKGROUND

Rotational vertebral artery syndrome, also referred to as Bow Hunter's syndrome (BHS), manifests when the vertebral artery (VA) is compressed following head rotation. This compression is often caused by an osteophyte and may lead to symptoms of a posterior stroke. This systematic review aims to shed light on the current management strategies for BHS resulting from osteophytes. Additionally, we present two illustrative cases where the VA compression by an osteophyte was effectively resolved by complete resection of the problematic bone spur.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted across Embase, PubMed and Medline in September 2023. Keywords related to vertebral artery [MESH], vertebrobasilar insufficiency [MESH] and osteophyte [MESH] were the focus of this review. Risk of bias in retained studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools for Qualitative Research. A narrative synthesis of our findings is presented.

RESULTS

A total of 30 studies were included in this review. Vertigo was the most reported symptom by patients (n = 16). On imaging, the VA was often compressed at C4-5 (n = 10) and C5-6 (n = 10) with no evident side predominance observed. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF, n = 13) followed by anterior decompression without fusion (n = 8) were the most performed surgical procedures to manage BHS.

CONCLUSION

Surgical decompression of the VA is a safe and effective intervention for patients experiencing symptomatic osteophytic compression during head rotation. This procedure restores normal vascular function and reduces the risk of ischemic events. This review highlights the importance of timely diagnosis and intervention in such cases.

Major Neurological Deficit Following Neck Hyperextension During Dental Treatment: Report of 2 Cases and Review of the Literature

INTRODUCTION

Medical literature has long reported the disastrous effects of neck hyperextension on posterior cerebral circulation. Hairdresser-related ischemic cerebrovascular event, also called beauty parlor syndrome, among other examples, is considered an epitome of this phenomenon.

CASE REPORT

In this report, alluding to hairdresser-related ischemic cerebrovascular event, 2 cases of neurological impairment following hyperextension of the neck during dental treatment append to the many others, yet being 2 of the first reported in this setting. In one of the cases, the patient developed classic stroke symptoms during dental treatment, while in the other, the deficit developed the day after the dental procedure. Both patients were treated with low-molecular-weight heparin during their stay at the hospital. In the first patient, the deficit was permanent, while in the second, the deficit was more subtle and temporary.

CONCLUSIONS

Pathogenesis, as well as predisposing factors, are discussed, and new terminology is established as a means to encourage research on this rare complication of neck positioning on dental chairs.

Vertigo and Ischemic Stroke after Hyperextension (Beauty Parlour Stroke syndrome)

Beauty parlour stroke syndrome is a stroke syndrome that occurs secondary to hyperextension of the neck due to compression of the vertebral artery in the atlanto-occipital region. It was first defined as "pearl beauty stroke syndrome" in 1992 by Weintraub et al. Vertigo syndrome caused by cervical region pathologies, bad posture of the neck and/or trauma [1]. We present a young, 23-year-old patient who has no disease, no trauma history nor substance-drug use. He was diagnosed with vertigo that started after going to the barber's and then had an infarction in the cerebellum.

What you need to know about: arterial cerebrovascular syndromes caused by static or dynamic musculoskeletal compression

Compressive syndromes of the cervical arteries caused by musculoskeletal structures include bow hunter's syndrome, beauty parlour stroke syndrome, carotid compression by the hyoid bone, carotid compression by the digastric muscle and Eagle syndrome. They are a rare but increasingly recognised group of syndromes, so a high level of suspicion is needed so the diagnosis is not missed. The diagnosis is typically based on a combination of clinical history and advanced imaging investigations. Compression of the arteries may be static (only provoked by compression) or dynamic (exaggerated by movement), and this should be considered when selecting imaging studies. Symptoms resulting from vertebrobasilar insufficiency or ischaemia of areas supplied by the internal carotid artery are caused by compression of the vertebral artery and the internal carotid artery respectively. Surgical procedures are the preferred treatment for most of these syndromes.

Ischemic Stroke Secondary to Dynamic Vertebral Artery Stenosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Ischemic stroke secondary to dynamic vertebral artery stenosis or occlusion, also known as “bow hunter's syndrome,” is a rare stroke mechanism. We report a case of a 24-year-old man with multiple hereditary exostosis (MHE) diagnosed at childhood. His first presentation to a neurologist was due to neck pain and clinical syndrome suggestive of ischemia in the vertebrobasilar territory. A therapeutic occlusion was done successfully without complication. The patient was discharged two days later on aspirin alone. In follow up one year later he continued to be symptom free. Moreover, this stroke mechanism has been reported extensively in the literature in isolation or secondary to many underlying diseases. In total, there are 168 cases reported in the published English literature, in either case reports or small series. In this review, we found that by far, vertebral artery occlusion at the atlanto-axial (C1-2) level dominated most reported cases. The most frequent presentation that led to further investigation was syncope or pre-syncope provoked by head rotation to one side. To our knowledge, there is no previous report of any stroke syndrome related to MHE before our case. In this paper, we report the first case secondary to MHE and review the literature up to date since the first reported case in 1952.

Bow hunter's syndrome due to an embolic mechanism: illustrative case

BACKGROUND

Bow hunter's syndrome (BHS) is an uncommon cause of vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke, which results from occlusion or injury to the vertebral artery (VA) during neck rotation. Although hemodynamic insufficiency is the predominant underlying mechanism of this entity, BHS due to embolic mechanisms is rare. The authors report a case of BHS characterized by repeated posterior circulation embolism and present some considerations of BHS with an embolic mechanism.

OBSERVATIONS

A 57-year-old man suffered from repeated embolic stroke in the posterior circulation. Digital subtraction angiography revealed caliber irregularity of the V3 segment of the left nondominant-side VA, which occluded when the neck rotated to the right side. The patient was diagnosed with BHS with an embolic mechanism due to endothelial damage caused by osteophytes at the C1 foramen transversarium. After C1-C2 fusion surgery, the patient never experienced the recurrence of stroke. According to a literature review, BHS due to embolic mechanisms tends to occur in young male adults, manifesting as recurrent stroke in the posterior circulation. Involvement of the nondominant-side VA can cause BHS with an underlying embolic mechanism.

LESSONS

BHS due to an embolic mechanism should be considered as a differential diagnosis if patients have repeated embolic strokes in the posterior circulation.

Reproducible Presyncope Due to Osteophyte Compression Into Transverse Foramen of the C5 Vertebra

Beauty parlor stroke syndrome is characterized by the development of various neurological symptoms during cervical hyperextension, followed by inadequate blood flow through the posterior circulation of the brain. However, there are few reports of beauty parlor stroke syndrome wherein the cause of the posterior circulatory inadequacy has been directly identified. Here we report a case where we could directly detect the origin of the posterior circulatory inadequacy. A 76-year-old Japanese man with hypertension presented with presyncope following cervical retroflexion. Head magnetic resonance angiography revealed that the vertebrobasilar circulation was exclusively supplied by the right vertebral artery. Cervical spine computed tomography showed compression of the osteophytes on the right superior articular process of C6 into the right transverse foramen of C5. Moreover, computed tomography angiography and carotid duplex ultrasonography showed decreased blood flow in the right vertebral artery on gradual retroflexion of the neck. Based on the above findings, we speculate that the right vertebral artery was compressed by the osteophytes, with the decreased blood flow being the cause of presyncope following cervical retroflexion.

Approach to cervicogenic dizziness: a comprehensive review of its aetiopathology and management

PURPOSE

Though there is abundant literature on cervicogenic dizziness with at least half a dozen of review articles, the condition remains to be enigmatic for clinicians dealing with the dizzy patients. However, most of these studies have studied the cervicogenic dizziness in general without separating the constitute conditions. Since the aetiopathological mechanism of dizziness varies between these cervicogenic causes, one cannot rely on the universal conclusions of these studies unless the constitute conditions of cervicogenic dizziness are separated and contrasted against each other.

METHODS

This narrative review of recent literature revisits the pathophysiology and the management guidelines of various conditions causing the cervicogenic dizziness, with an objective to formulate a practical algorithm that could be of clinical utility. The structured discussion on each of the causes of the cervicogenic dizziness not only enhances the readers' understanding of the topic in depth but also enables further research by identifying the potential areas of interest and the missing links.

RESULTS

Certain peculiar features of each condition have been discussed with an emphasis on the recent experimental and clinical studies. A simple aetiopathological classification and a sensible management algorithm have been proposed by the author, to enable the identification of the most appropriate underlying cause for the cervicogenic dizziness in any given case. However, further clinical studies are required to validate this algorithm.

CONCLUSIONS

So far, no single clinical study, either epidemiological or interventional, has incorporated and isolated all the constitute conditions of cervicogenic dizziness. There is a need for such studies in the future to validate either the reliability of a clinical test or the efficacy of an intervention in cervicogenic dizziness.