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A Cerebrovascular Incident Secondary to Extensive Aortic Arch Atheroma
Faisal A Alghamdi1, Saud A AlShehri1, Nisreen H Maghraby2
1College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, SAU.
Insights
Aortic arch atheroma can lead to severe cerebrovascular events. This case highlights the risks and challenges in managing extensive aortic arch plaque, even with interventions like thrombectomy and antiplatelet therapy.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Neurology
Background:
- Atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta, particularly the aortic arch, are linked to cerebrovascular insults.
- Current management lacks a defined protocol, often relying on antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies.
Observation:
- A 78-year-old male with diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia presented with acute slurred speech.
- CT angiography revealed extensive aortic arch atheroma with severe stenosis in the left common carotid artery and internal carotid artery.
Findings:
- The patient underwent aspiration thrombectomy and received dual antiplatelet treatment.
- Despite intervention, the patient experienced decompensated heart failure and subsequently passed away.
Implications:
- This case underscores the critical association between aortic arch atheroma and cerebrovascular events.
- It highlights the complex and often challenging clinical course associated with managing severe aortic arch disease and its complications.
Abstract:
Plaques can form across different parts of the aorta, from the aortic arch to the thoracic and abdominal aorta. Aortic arch atheroma, however, is highly associated with cerebrovascular insults due to their dislodgement. Although no concise management protocol has been defined for dealing with such presentations, antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants are most frequently used. In this case, we present a 78-year-old male with a known case of diabetes mellitus type 2, hypertension, and dyslipidemia who presented to the emergency department with acute onset of slurred speech. A CT angiography was performed that revealed extensive plaque formations across the aortic arch with a 90% occlusion of the distal left common carotid artery and carotid bifurcation along with 99% stenosis of the internal carotid artery. The patient underwent aspiration thrombectomy and was started on dual antiplatelets but passed away after developing decompensated heart failure.
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