Abstract

Vertigo is not an uncommon presentation to the emergency department. It is most commonly caused by benign peripheral processes, such as inner ear or vestibular nerve dysfunction, but can be due to central brain lesions. In this report, we present a central cause of isolated vertigo: brainstem infarct secondary to vertebral artery dissection (VAD). VAD is increasingly being recognised as an important cause of stroke in young people. We discuss the important features that need to be elicited to distinguish central from peripheral disease and the relevance of VAD.