Physicians Identify Carotid Artery Dissection in Time for Treatment

KPRC Channel 2’s Haley Hernandez recently interviewed The Texas Heart Institute’s Keri Sprung, Dr. Stephanie Coulter and Dr. Zvonimir Krajcer about the cardiovascular disease diagnosis that saved Sprung’s life.

Sprung began experiencing unusual symptoms after recovering from COVID-19—a whooshing sound in her ear, an intensely painful headache, and difficulty sleeping—which turned out to be symptoms of a carotid artery dissection inside her skull. Persistence on the part of Sprung and her physician colleagues at The Texas Heart Institute Center for Cardiovascular Care led to the diagnosis and treatment that prevented her from possibly having a stroke.

 

Sprung’s experience helped motivate Dr. Coulter and her clinical research team in The Institute’s Center for Women’s Heart & Vascular Health to join the North American Registry for Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD).  FMD and the closely related disease, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), are two conditions that predominantly affect women. This research is a natural extension of the Center’s Women-Focused Research and Training Program, which was launched in 2017 to promote collaborative research on women’s heart and vascular disease.

For more information on the FMD Registry and how to enroll, visit texasheart.org/fmd