Basilar impression as a possible cause of cerebellar stroke: case report

A case is reported of a 72-year-old woman who presented with severe vertigo, vomit, and mild neck and occipital pain. She had a medical history of hypertension, angina pectoris, cholelithiasis, gastric ulcer, pyelonephritis and periodical mild dizziness. Neuroimaging revealed right vertebral artery occlusion, right cerebellar stroke and basilar impression. The therapeutic approach chosen in our patient was conservative, with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and neck collar. Although our patient's prior risk factors for stroke supported a diagnosis of vertebrobasilar stroke, it is possible that the vertebral artery occlusion was the result of changes in the atlantoaxial anatomy and that cerebellar infarction was secondary to craniocervical anomaly. Although the presence of vertebral artery occlusion, cerebellar stroke and basilar impression in our patient may have been coincidental, we suggest that patients with basilar impression and craniocervical anomalies in general may be at an increased risk of vertebrobasilar vascular disease and vertebrobasilar stroke.