Minor trauma may lead to traumatic internal carotid artery dissection

A farmer’s wife was slapped by her cow’s tail during milking. There was no obvious injury, but afterward she first developed unusual headaches of unknown origin and then a severe stroke 7 days later. Further diagnostics, including magnetic resonance imaging techniques, revealed a dissection of the carotid artery to be the reason for the stroke, probably caused by being hit by the cow’s tail. This case demonstrates that persisting unusual headaches, even after minor trauma, should lead to further diagnostic procedures and then therapeutic intervention for stroke prevention if necessary.