Internal carotid artery dissection after childbirth.

A 44-year-old woman developed a left cerebral infarction secondary to internal carotid artery dissection 6 days after childbirth. A cesarean section had been carried out after 14 hours of strenuous unsuccessful labor. Although in the past some authors have implicated oral contraceptives as a cause for carotid dissection, carotid dissection associated with childbirth has not been previously described.