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Abstract
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).
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Schlemm L, Nolte CH, Engelter ST, Endres M, Ebinger M. Cervical artery dissection after sports - An analytical evaluation of 190 published cases. Eur Stroke J 2017; 2:335-345. [PMID: 31008325 DOI: 10.1177/2396987317720544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Cervical artery dissections may be preceded by mechanical trigger events, often related to sports. Methods Using the MEDLINE database, we identified case reports and case series of sports-related cervical artery dissections. Information of the type of sport, age and gender of the patient, affected vessels, associated infarction, time delay, and neurological sequelae were extracted. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between sport groups using analysis of variance and Chi square tests. Differences were further assessed with adjusted post hoc tests and homogenous subsets. Results A total of 115 reports describing 190 patients with cervical artery dissections related to 45 different sports were identified. The mean age of all patients was 35 years; 26% of all patients were women. Anterior and posterior circulation, as well as left and right side were affected with similar frequency. Patients belonging to different sport categories differed significantly with regard to age (p < 0.001), gender (p < 0.001), and affected circulation (anterior vs. posterior, p = 0.02). The posterior circulation was most often affected in golf players (88%) and least often in individuals engaging in exercise (23%) and scuba divers (29%). Laterality (left vs. right) and mortality were similar between sport groups. Discussion We performed a comprehensive review and analytical evaluation of case reports describing patients with cervical artery dissections after sport. Confirmation of our findings in prospective studies is needed. Conclusion Cervical artery dissection has been described in relation to a wide variety of sports. The risk of injury to particular neurovascular structures may depend on the type sport involved. Discipline-specific incidence rates are not known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludwig Schlemm
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany.,London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
| | - Christian H Nolte
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan T Engelter
- Stroke Center and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Switzerland.,Neurorehabilitation Unit, University Center for Medicine of Aging and Rehabilitation, Felix Platter Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Endres
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany.,DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site, Berlin, Germany.,DZNE (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases), Partner Site, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Ebinger
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Neurology, MEDICAL PARK Berlin Humboldtmühle, Berlin, Germany
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