Trauma: This is the most common cause of acute jugular venous dissection, often resulting from penetrating injuries such as stabbings or gunshot wounds, or blunt trauma to the neck.

Iatrogenic causes: Procedures like central line placement or jugular vein catheterization can lead to dissection.
Spontaneous dissection: This can occur due to underlying vascular conditions or anomalies, though it's less common than traumatic causes.
Severe hypertension: Extremely high blood pressure can lead to dissection, especially if there are pre-existing weaknesses in the venous wall.

Thrombosis or thrombophlebitis: While not typically causing dissection directly, these conditions can lead to significant morbidity if not promptly addressed and can sometimes be associated with dissection.
Malignancy: Tumors, either primary or metastatic, can infiltrate the jugular vein and cause dissection, a scenario that would drastically alter management and prognosis.
Infectious causes: Certain infections, like Lemierre's syndrome (a complication of oropharyngeal infection), can lead to jugular vein thrombosis and potentially dissection, requiring urgent antibiotic treatment.

Vasculitis: Inflammatory diseases affecting blood vessels, such as Behçet's disease or giant cell arteritis, can rarely cause venous dissection.
Congenital anomalies: Abnormalities in venous structure or function present from birth can predispose to dissection, though this would be extremely uncommon.
Marfan syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: These genetic disorders affect connective tissue and can increase the risk of vascular dissections, including potentially the jugular veins, though arterial dissections are more commonly associated with these conditions.