Vertebral artery dissection onset mimics migraine with aura in a graphic designer.

Headache is the most common symptom in patients with cervical artery dissection. This symptom, however, rarely occurs in isolation, and more commonly is associated with other neurological symptoms and signs. Visual symptoms associated with vertebral artery dissection (VD) have also been observed, but do not typically mimic the migraine aura. Here, we report a young patient who presented VD, embolic ischemic lesions, and visual symptoms with the features of aura, followed by migraine headache. The suggestion of VD dissection should be kept in mind in those cases complaining of the first attack of headache that mimics migraine with aura. In these cases, an extensive neuroimaging study is advisable.