Expressive Aphasia and Carotid Dissection

Ultrasound images of a patient presenting to the Emergency Department with expressive aphasia who was found to have carotid dissection. The first image is a standard 2D image that depicts the internal carotid with a visible flap within the lumen. The second image is a color Doppler image showing turbulent flow within the true lumen and visible flow within the false lumen. The case and the patient’s outcome are summarized along with some teaching points about carotid dissection. Also, there is some background and research on using ultrasound to help identify dissection. [West J Emerg Med. 2010;11(5):530-531.]