Extracranial Carotid Stenosis: Or something else? Differential Diagnosis

Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (E00-E90).

Skin and subcutaneous (L00-L99)

  • Vasculitis (vascular inflammation), unspecified.

Cardiovascular system (I00-I99)

  • Apoplexy (stroke)
  • Hypertensive encephalopathy – hypertensive emergency characterized by an increase in intracranial (within the skull) pressure with consequent intracranial pressure signs.
  • Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS, synonym: Call-Fleming syndrome); due to constriction (contraction of the muscles) of cerebral vessels, severe headache (annihilation headache) occurs with or without further neurological abnormalities, e.g. Apoplexy (stroke), epilepsy (seizure), or subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAB; hemorrhage under the arachnoid (spider membrane; middle meninges between the dura mater (hard meninges; outermost meninges) and the pia mater); leading symptom: annihilation headache (sudden headache event) with nausea (nausea)/vomiting). However, the symptoms pass within 3 months.
  • Subdural hematoma (SDH) – Hematoma (bruise) under the hard meninges between the dura mater (hard meninges) and the arachnoid (spider tissue membrane).
    • Acute subdural hematoma (aSDH)Symptoms: Disturbances of consciousness up to unconsciousness
    • Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH)Symptoms: uncharacteristic complaints such as a feeling of pressure in the head, cephalgia (headache), vertigo (dizziness), restriction or loss of orientation and ability to concentrate
  • Thrombosis – complete or partial occlusion of a vessel.

Infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).

Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99).

  • Vasculitis (vascular inflammation), unspecified.

Neoplasms – tumor diseases (C00-D48).

  • Space-occupying neoplasms, unspecified.

Psyche – nervous system (F00-F99; G00-G99).

  • Meningoencephalitis (combined inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and meninges (meningitis)).
  • Migraine
  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) – inflammatory/demyelinating and degenerative disease of the central nervous system that can lead to spasticity and paresis (paralysis)
  • Psychogenic hemiparesis – hemiplegia due to mental disorders.
  • Transient ischemic attack (TIA) – sudden onset of circulatory disturbance in the brain leading to neurological disorders that resolve within 24 hours

Injuries, poisonings and other consequences of external causes (S00-T98).

Further

  • Intoxications (poisonings), unspecified.