Acute Idiopathic Carotidynia
- Acute idiopathic carotidynia is a self-limited inflammatory condition of unknown etiology.
- It is characterized by neck pain, oftentimes associated with a pulsatile neck mass and tenderness to palpation over the carotid artery. Occasionally, induration of the overlying skin is seen.
- Typical symptomatic resolution ranges from several days to a few weeks.
- Key Diagnostic Features:
- The diagnosis is generally one of exclusion. Imaging is necessary to exclude a structural abnormality such as an underlying aneurysm, tumor or abscess.
- Circumferential thickening of the carotid wall without lumen narrowing
- Marked enhancement on MRI
- DDx:
- Carotid artery dissection
- Aneurysm
- Extracranial atherosclerosis
- Vasculitis
- Tumor
- Rx: High-dose NSAIDs and corticosteroids
