[Sports-related carotid artery dissection].

Sports-related carotid artery dissection are very rare and were described in different kinds of sports. We report on a 45-year old man who suffered bilateral brain infarctions caused by bilateral extracranial internal carotid artery dissection after excessive weight lifting in a gym. As possible trigger factors for the dissections we assumed the abrupt extension of the neck during weight lifting and the frequent Valsalva manoeuvers with massive rise in the pressure in the carotid artery system. The patient underwent angioplasty and stenting of the stenosis of right carotid artery, the primarily occluded left carotid artery recanalized spontaneously. Secondary prevention was established by platelet aggregation inhibitors. The patient recovered completely. The pathogenesis of sports-related dissections is multifactorial. In addition to sporting activities hereditary or acquired structural aberrations in the arterial walls could be discussed. Acute focal neurological symptoms after sport should always focus on carotid or vertebral artery dissection. (c) Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart-New York.