Arterial<unk>  of the<unk>  arteries occurs when a small tear forms in the innermost lining of the arterial wall (known as the tunica intima). Blood is then able to enter the space between the inner and outer layers of the vessel, causing narrowing (stenosis) or complete occlusion. The stenosis that occurs in the early stages of arterial<unk>  is a dynamic process and some occlusions can return to stenosis very quickly. When complete occlusion occurs, it may lead to ischaemia. Often, even a complete occlusion is totally asymptomatic because bilateral circulation keeps the brain well perfused. However, when blood clots form and break off from the site of the tear, they form emboli, which can travel through the arteries to the brain and block the blood supply to the brain, resulting in an ischaemic stroke, otherwise known as a cerebral infarction. Blood clots, or emboli, originating from the<unk>  are thought to be the cause of infarction in the majority of cases of stroke in the presence of<unk> . Cerebral infarction causes irreversible damage to the brain. In one study of patients with<unk> , 60% had infarcts documented on neuroimaging.
Carotid artery dissection
Vertebral artery dissection
Carotid artery stenosis
Cirsoid aneurysm
Arterial tortuosity syndrome
Arterial embolism
Charcot–Bouchard aneurysm
Middle cerebral artery syndrome