Acute Aortic and Carotid Dissection Presenting with a Headache, a Case Report

Abstract

Background: Aortic dissection is an uncommon medical emergency with an incidence rate of approximately
three per 100,000 people; the diagnosis of aortic dissection is often missed in the absence of chest pain in
approximately 6% of cases.
Case Presentation: There was a 53-year-old man with a history of migraines and high blood pressure who
woke up in the morning with a severe headache and was diagnosed with carotid dissection and thoracic aortic
dissection involving the ascending aorta and descending aorta.
Conclusion: Aortic dissections rarely present with severe headaches as their initial symptom, but aortic dissections with carotid artery dissections are typically accompanied by headache; it is important to keep in mind that the sudden onset of a frontal headache may necessitate sonography of the carotid arteries and echocardiography.