Vertebral Artery Dissections Lawyer in Seattle

Our Attorney at Kornfeld Law Understands Injuries in a Personal Way

A vertebral artery dissection is one of the most difficult injuries to diagnose and treat. It often poses a serious risk to a person’s health and, at times, may even be life-threatening—but many medical practitioners disagree on the most appropriate method of treatment.

If you have a vertebral artery dissection, you deserve the highest possible quality of care from your doctor. You also deserve to hold negligent parties accountable if they caused your injury, failed to diagnose it, or provided improper medical treatment. At Kornfeld Law, our lead attorney has nearly four decades of legal experience and a steadfast commitment to protecting the rights of the wrongfully injured.

The sooner we take on your case, the closer you are to justice. 
Call (425) 657-5255 today.

What Are Vertebral Artery Dissections—and What Causes Them?

On the back of the neck near the spine are two vertebral arteries that, along with two carotid arteries below the jaw, send blood to the brain. A vertebral artery dissection is when the artery wall tears, and, as a result, blood begins to flow between the layers. The pooling of blood is referred to as a pseudoaneurysm.

Many cases are triggered by incidental minor trauma, but some appear to have no direct cause (i.e. spontaneous vertebral artery dissections).

Experts believe people may have a higher risk of developing this injury if they:

• Smoke regularly
• Experience one or more incidents of neck distortion (e.g. chiropractic treatment, blunt trauma, severe coughing/vomiting, invasive diagnostic procedures, hyperextension after lifting weights or playing sports, etc.)
• Have certain preexisting conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, fibromuscular dysplasia, connective tissue diseases such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, etc.)

What Are Vertebral Artery Dissection Symptoms and Consequences?

The dissection can occur either in the neck (extracranial) or in the brain (intracranial), and the location of the injury affects long-term effects and likelihood of recovery.

Generally, the injury may cause serious symptoms and neurological consequences, including:

• Aches in the head, neck, and face (for up to 14 days before the dissection)
• Issues with senses (e.g. dizziness, vertigo, double vision, loss of taste, “whooshing” sound in one ear, etc.)
• Sudden loss of strength in one side of the body
• Stroke (when the pseudoaneurysm, or blood pool, bursts and floods the brain)

Compared to intracranial dissections, extracranial dissections are not as serious. Roughly half of patients with this injury will experience no brain dysfunction. About a fifth will experience mild dysfunction, and a quarter will experience moderate to severe dysfunction. Only 4% of cases are fatal.

Intracranial dissections, however, usually cause severe neurological dysfunction and/or subarachnoid hemorrhage, a life-threatening stroke. While a recurring injury is statistically unlikely, a patient with an intracranial dissection experiences a higher risk of recurrence for 10 or more years after the initial tear.

What are Vertebral Artery Dissection Treatment Options?

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, 10% of those who sustain a dissection do not survive. 80% of those who do survive, however, achieve a full recovery. The goal of treatment is typically to use anticoagulation to prevent stroke. Medical practitioners typically reserve surgery for those with additional (and severe) complications.