Cervical Artery Tortuosity Is Associated With Dissection Occurrence and Late Recurrence: A Nested Case-Control Study | Stroke
BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of spontaneous cervical artery dissection remains unclear, and no established predictors of recurrence exist. Our goal was to investigate the potential association between cervical artery tortuosity, a characteristic of patients with connective tissue disorder, and spontaneous cervical artery dissection. METHODS: The ReSect study (Risk Factors for Recurrent Cervical Artery Dissection) is an observational study that invited all spontaneous cervical artery dissection patients treated at the Innsbruck University Hospital between 1996 and 2018 for clinical and radiological follow-up. Internal carotid and vertebral artery tortuosity was assessed on magnetic resonance angiography using a validated 3-dimensional algorithm. Differences between patients and healthy controls as well as dependent on recurrence status were assessed by applying χ2, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test where applicable, and confounders were established by bivariable Pearson corre
