Carotid dissection is a breakdown of the layers of the carotid artery.
This results in a linear tear in the wall of the artery. Post-traumatic dissection is much more common than spontaneous. Stroke-like or ischemic symptoms are less common. Other traumatic causes include chiropractic manipulation, attempted strangulation, and following cerebral angiography. In post-traumatic dissection ischemic symptoms are the most common.