Platelet dysfunction in patients with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage: Do desmopressin and platelet therapy help or harm?

Background: Pre-injury anti-platelet use has been associated with increased risk of progression of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (TICH) and worse outcomes. VerifyNow® assays assess platelet inhibition due to aspirin/clopidogrel. This study assesses the outcomes of patients with TICH and platelet dysfunction treated with desmopressin and/or platelets.

Delayed vertebral artery dissection after mild trauma in a motor vehicle collision.

Vertebral artery dissection can be insidious and is a leading cause of stroke in young patients, second only behind cardioembolic events [1]. We present the case of a 42-year-old patient who presented to the emergency department with diaphoresis and a complaint of neck pain one month after a low speed motor vehicle collision. The patient was transferred to a stroke center where cerebral angiography showed severe vertebral artery stenosis with likelihood of dissection after a noncontrast CT was negative for hemorrhage.