[Spontaneous extra-cranial vertebral artery dissection accompanied with multiple cerebral infarctions due to...

In this paper we report a case of vertebral artery occlusion caused by spontaneous extra-cranial vertebral artery dissection accompanied with cerebellar and thalamic infarctions due to recanalization. Furthermore, after a nine-week time lapse we performed PTA/stenting. A 62-year-old man with vertigo, dysarthria and nuchal pain without injury was admitted to our hospital. Emergent cerebral angiography revealed an occlusion of the right vertebral artery and the right PICA. The patient's symptoms gradually improved owing to local-fibrinolysis with urokinase for the right PICA via the left vertebral artery. Follow-up angiography (2 weeks later) showed re-canalization and dissection of the right vertebral artery. Treatment for spontaneous extra-cranial vertebral artery dissection is chosen, depending on whether there is co-lateral circulation or not. We obtained a good result using PTA/Stenting in this case of spontaneous extra-cranial vertebral artery dissection within nine weeks after onset.