Carotid artery dissections: Thrombosis of the false lumen

Carotid artery dissections are the second leading cause of stroke in young adults. The hemostatic response to a dissection involves exposure of the subendothelium to the intravascular environment. Platelet activation/aggregation superimposed by secondary coagulation cascade activity attempts to heal the injury. Failure of the hemostatic response to heal the injury may lead to further rupture of the intimal and medial layers, which allows for …