Natural History of Unruptured Vertebral Basilar Artery Dissection: Temporal Changes in Imaging Findings and Contributory Factors

Abstract PurposeTo investigate temporal changes in imaging findings of conservatively treated unruptured vertebral basilar artery dissection and its contributing factors.MethodsFifty-three patients who underwent conservative treatment for 64 cases of vertebral basilar artery dissection diagnosed between January 2006 and March 2019 and follow-up of at least 12 months after onset were retrospectively investigated. Statistical analyses of age, sex, medical history, pattern of onset, lesion site, imaging findings and changes over time, regular medication, and outcomes were performed. ResultsChanges in the vascular morphology of the lesion site during the follow-up period were observed in only 23 (43%) patients (median time until change: 19 days). Univariate analysis of factors contributing to morphological changes at the dissection site showed that changes were significantly more likely in younger patients (p = 0.011). Patients taking antiplatelet drugs had a significantly greater rate of deterioration at the dissection site (p = 0.028) than others. On multivariate analysis, age was an independent factor contributing to changes at the dissection site, and taking antiplatelet drugs, particularly clopidogrel, was an independent factor contributing to deterioration. No patient developed intracranial hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, or worsening of neurological symptoms during follow-up.ConclusionsMorphological changes at the dissection site are more likely in younger patients with unruptured vertebral basilar artery dissection and those taking antiplatelet drugs. However, chances of intracranial hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, or worsening of neurological symptoms during conservative therapy are low. Therefore, unruptured vertebral basilar artery dissection may be considered a benign condition.

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Stent treatment for basilar artery dissection: A single-center experience of 21 patients

Interventional Neuroradiology ◽

10.1177/1591019915622162 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 260-265 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Li Li ◽

Tianxiao Li ◽

Jiangyu Xue ◽

Ziliang Wang ◽

Weixing Bai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Basilar Artery ◽

Artery Dissection ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Single Center Experience ◽

Post Operation ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Group 2 ◽

Partially Occluded ◽

Group 1

Basilar artery dissection is a rare disease with high morbidity and mortality. No well-established management strategy exists for this lesion. Endovascular reconstructive therapy using stents (with or without coiling) may be the optimum strategy. We describe our center’s experience for this treatment strategy in 21 patients with basilar artery dissection from January 2009 to July 2014 (17 men, four women; age range, 18–70 years; median age, 56 years). We divided patients into two groups: Group 1 patients received stent-assisted coiling treatment, and Group 2 patients received stent-only treatment. Pre-treatment, peri-operation and follow-up evaluation were investigated for complications, clinical outcome and angiographic results. The median follow-up time was 20 months (range, 3–67 months). All patients were treated endovascularly by stent-assisted coiling (14 patients) or stent only (seven patients). Immediate angiography showed: in Group 1, five of 14 lesions were completely occluded, five were partially occluded, four revealed retention of contrast media; in Group 2, all patients (seven of seven) had contrast retention. At the follow-up visit (median seven months, 3–29 months), the aneurysms were angiographically improved in five of 13 patients in Group 1 compared with immediately post-operation, while six of sevenimproved in Group 2. Five patients (all in Group 1) had ischemic or hemorrhage peri-operation complications. Long-term good clinical outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) ≤ 2) were achieved in all patients except three death cases (two in Group1, one in Group 2). In our experience, endovascular reconstructive therapy using stents (with or without coiling) for basilar artery dissection is effective and safe. Stent-only treatment seems have a better safety profile during the peri-operation period.

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Bilateral Sudden Hearing Loss Caused by Basilar Artery Dissection: A Case Report

Research in Vestibular Science ◽

10.21790/rvs.2021.20.4.151 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 151-155

Author(s):

Ho Byung Lee ◽

Jieun Roh ◽

Hyun Min Lee ◽

Jae-Hwan Choi

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Basilar Artery ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Sudden Hearing Loss ◽

Artery Dissection ◽

Vertebrobasilar Ischemia ◽

Left Posterior ◽

Retrograde Blood Flow ◽

Antegrade Flow

Bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is rare, but a possible symptom of vertebrobasilar ischemia. A 69-year-old female patient with hypertension and atrial fibrillation presented with bilateral sudden hearing loss and vertigo without other neurological symptoms. On examination, she had left-beating horizontal nystagmus with positive head impulse on the left side. Pure tone audiometry revealed severe SNHL on both sides. Brain computed tomography angiography showed a dissection in the proximal portion of the basilar artery (BA) with occlusion of the mid-BA and bilateral anterior inferior cerebellar arteries (AICA), which confirmed on transfemoral cerebral angiography (TFCA). Left common carotid angiography demonstrated retrograde blood flow into the BA and right AICA via the left posterior communicating artery. During TFCA, her right hearing loss dramatically improved. Nine days later, follow-up TFCA showed an improvement of antegrade flow of the BA and AICA. We suggest that vertebrobasilar ischemia can be suspected in patients with bilateral sudden SNHL who present with risk factors for stroke.

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Extended Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (eTICI) grade 2c: a potential angiographic target for endovascular treatment in acute basilar artery occlusion?

Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery ◽

10.1136/neurintsurg-2021-018026 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. neurintsurg-2021-018026

Author(s):

Luming Chen ◽

Chenghao Zhao ◽

Jiaxing Song ◽

Wenjie Zi ◽

Hongfei Sang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Infarction ◽

Endovascular Treatment ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽

Basilar Artery ◽

Functional Outcomes ◽

Artery Occlusion ◽

Basilar Artery Occlusion ◽

Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽

The Impact

BackgroundHigher extended Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (eTICI) grades are associated with better clinical outcomes after endovascular treatment (EVT) for proximal intracranial occlusion of the anterior circulation. However, the relationship between eTICI grade and outcomes after EVT in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) remains unclear. We aimed to explore which eTICI category was the cut-off correlating with better clinical outcomes in patients with BAO undergoing EVT.MethodsWe included patients treated via EVT from the BASILAR study. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the impact of eTICI grades on 90-day favorable functional outcomes, defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–3. Other outcomes were functional independence (mRS 0–2), all-cause mortality, and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.ResultsAmong 647 patients treated with EVT, 127 (19.6%), 128 (24.5%), 110 (21.1%), and 282 (54%) patients achieved eTICI grades of 0–2a, 2b, 2c, and 3, respectively. Compared with eTICI grades 0–2a, higher rates of favorable functional outcomes (adjusted OR (aOR) 2.96, 95% CI 1.33 to 6.57, and aOR 7.40, 95% CI 3.63 to 15.09, respectively) were observed for grades 2c and 3, not 2b (aOR 1.93, 95% CI 0.86 to 4.36). The risks of mortality and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage were also lower for eTICI grades 2c and 3 than for grades 0–2a.ConclusionsAn eTICI grade of 2c/3 may be a target for successful reperfusion after EVT in patients with acute BAO; however, further studies with larger sample sizes and clinical trials are needed.

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Endovascular stent therapy for extracranial and intracranial carotid artery dissection: single-center experience

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/2011.1.jns091806 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 115 (1) ◽

pp. 91-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Hajime Ohta ◽

Sabareesh K. Natarajan ◽

Erik F. Hauck ◽

Alexander A. Khalessi ◽

Adnan H. Siddiqui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carotid Artery ◽

Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽

Artery Dissection ◽

Interventional Treatment ◽

Endovascular Stent ◽

Parent Vessel ◽

Stent Deployment ◽

Artery Embolism ◽

Extracranial Ica

Object The objective of this study was to evaluate endovascular stent therapy for carotid artery dissections (CADs). Methods Retrospective review of data at Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital identified 43 patients with 44 CADs (intracranial and/or extracranial) treated with carotid artery (CA) stent placement between January 2000 and June 2009. Results Thirty-two CADs were spontaneous and 12 were traumatic; 35 were symptomatic. Lesion locations included the extracranial internal CA (ICA; 24 cases), extracranial ICA with common CA involvement (4 cases), and extracranial ICA–intracranial ICA (16 cases). Carotid artery occlusion was 100% in 15 cases (34.1%), 99% in 6 cases (13.6%), 70%–98% in 13 cases (29.5%), and < 70% in 10 cases (22.7%). Five patients suffered pseudoaneurysms. Stent deployment was successful in 43 (97.7%) of 44 cases. The mean pretreatment score on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 6.2 ± 6.2. Recanalization (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Grade 2 or 3) was accomplished for 42 lesions (95.5%). Four patients demonstrated residual parent vessel stenosis (10%–50% in severity). Procedure-related complications occurred in 7 patients and included middle cerebral artery embolism (1 patient), intracranial hemorrhage (2 patients), worsening of dissection (1 patient), stent malpositioning (1 patient), embolic protection filter overload (1 patient), and filter retrieval device fracture (1 patient). Only 2 of these complications caused permanent deficits: the embolism caused a minor but permanent neurological deficit, and 1 intracranial hemorrhage was fatal. At discharge, 36 patients (83.7%) had modified Rankin Scale scores of 0–2 (favorable outcome). During the follow-up interval (mean 19.2 months, range 4–92 months), no patient suffered a new stroke and 1 patient died secondary to preexisting chronic renal failure. In 20 patients with angiographic follow-up, permanent resolution of the dissection was noted in 90.5%; 2 lesions (9.5%) required retreatment. Conclusions Endovascular stent-assisted repair of extra- and intracranial CAD was safe and effective in this experience and can be recommended for selected patients. In particular, patients with symptomatic CADs that are not responsive to medical therapy should be considered for interventional treatment.

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Basilar artery dissection with rupture 6 years after accidental detection: A case report

Surgical Neurology International ◽

10.25259/sni_735_2020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 4

Author(s):

Yoshimichi Sato ◽

Kuniyasu Niizuma ◽

Hideki Ota ◽

Hidenori Endo ◽

Teiji Tominaga

Keyword(s):

Conservative Treatment ◽

Basilar Artery ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Artery Dissection ◽

Imaging Features ◽

Internal Elastic Lamina ◽

Intimal Flap ◽

Weakened Condition ◽

Elastic Lamina

Background: Chronic basilar artery dissection (BAD) is a rare pathology, and only a few reports have been mentioned in the literature. The imaging features of chronic BAD, especially those that develop into a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), are unknown. Case Description: We report a unique case of a chronic BAD with a split intimal flap that developed into an SAH. A 74-year-old man was diagnosed with BAD. After considering all treatment options, conservative treatment was selected for the patient. We continued imaging follow-up of the patient in our outpatient clinic once a year. The BA gradually dilated and the internal flap split. The patient and his family refused surgical treatment; therefore, conservative treatment was continued. Six years and 2 months from the first diagnosis, he developed a massive SAH and died. Conclusion: In the case of this patient, the weakened condition of the internal elastic lamina may have caused dissection of the intimal flap between the intima and media. Furthermore, the dissection may have developed and connected the true lumen to the pseudolumen and induced BA rupture. Thereby, split of the internal flap could be a risk factor for rupture in chronic BAD.

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Ischemic Complications of Pregnancy: Who is at Risk?

US Cardiology Review ◽

10.15420/usc.2016.10.1.14 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 14

Author(s):

Sara C Martinez ◽

◽

Sharonne N Hayes ◽

Keyword(s):

Artery Dissection ◽

Cardiac Events ◽

Coronary Artery Dissection ◽

Reduction Strategies ◽

Ischemic Complications ◽

Substantial Risk ◽

History Of ◽

Invasive Management ◽

In Pregnancy

The physiologic demands of pregnancy may either trigger or uncover ischemic heart disease (IHD) via largely unknown mechanisms, leading to an increased mortality compared with nonpregnant individuals. Risk factors for IHD in pregnancy are age, smoking, multiparity, and prior cardiac events. A multidisciplinary team at a referral center is key to coordinating medical or invasive management and inpatient observation. Etiologies may be revealed by experienced angiographers, and are predominantly spontaneous coronary artery dissection, followed by atherosclerotic disease and thrombus, while a significant percentage of women are found to have normal coronary arteries by angiogram. The management of these conditions is varied and, in general, conservative management is preferred with adequate coronary flow and stable hemodynamics. A woman with a history of IHD in pregnancy is at a substantial risk for further complications in future pregnancies and beyond; therefore, aggressive risk factor-reduction strategies and regular cardiology follow-up are imperative to decrease adverse events.

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Effect of Cilostazol on Cerebral Vasospasm and Outcome in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽

10.1159/000445509 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 42 (1-2) ◽

pp. 97-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Naoya Matsuda ◽

Masato Naraoka ◽

Hiroki Ohkuma ◽

Norihito Shimamura ◽

Katsuhiro Ito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽

Cerebral Infarction ◽

Cerebral Vasospasm ◽

Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽

Control Group ◽

Independent Factor ◽

Double Blind ◽

End Points ◽

Double Blind Placebo ◽

Poor Outcome

Background: Several clinical studies have indicated the efficacy of cilostazol, a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 3, in preventing cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). They were not double-blinded trial resulting in disunited results on assessment of end points among the studies. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed to assess the effectiveness of cilostazol on cerebral vasospasm. Methods: Patients with aneurysmal SAH admitted within 24 h after the ictus who met the following criteria were enrolled in this study: SAH on CT scan was diffuse thick, diffuse thin, or local thick, Hunt and Hess score was less than 4, administration of cilostazol or placebo could be started within 48 h of SAH. Patients were randomly allocated to placebo or cilostazol after repair of a ruptured saccular aneurysm by aneurysmal neck clipping or endovascular coiling, and the administration of cilostazol or placebo was continued up to 14 days after initiation of treatment. The primary end point was the occurrence of symptomatic vasospasm (sVS), and secondary end points were angiographic vasospasm (aVS) evaluated on digital subtraction angiography, vasospasm-related new cerebral infarction evaluated on CT scan or MRI, and clinical outcome at 3 months of SAH as assessed by Glasgow Outcome Scale, in which poor outcome was defined as severe disability, vegetative state, and death. All end points were evaluated with blinded assessment. Results: One hundred forty eight patients were randomly allocated to the cilostazol group (n = 74) or the control group (n = 74). The occurrence of sVS was significantly lower in the cilostazol group than in the control group (10.8 vs. 24.3%, p = 0.031), and multiple logistic analysis showed that cilostazol use was an independent factor reducing sVS (OR 0.293, 95% CI 0.099-0.568, p = 0.027). The incidence of aVS and vasospasm-related cerebral infarction were not significantly different between the groups. Poor outcome was significantly lower in the cilostazol group than in the control group (5.4 vs. 17.6%, p = 0.011), and multiple logistic analyses demonstrated that cilostazol use was an independent factor that reduced the incidence of poor outcome (OR 0.221, 95% CI 0.054-0.903, p = 0.035). Severe adverse events due to cilostazol administration did not occur during the study period. Conclusions: Cilostazol administration is effective in preventing sVS and improving outcomes without severe adverse events. A larger-scale study including more cases was necessary to confirm this efficacy of cilostazol.

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Premature STEMI in Men and Women: Current Clinical Features and Improvements in Management and Prognosis

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10061314 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 1314

Author(s):

Rebeca Lorca ◽

Isaac Pascual ◽

Andrea Aparicio ◽

Alejandro Junco-Vicente ◽

Rut Alvarez-Velasco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Coronary Artery ◽

General Population ◽

Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽

Young Women ◽

Artery Dissection ◽

Men And Women ◽

High Prevalence

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most frequent cause of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Etiopathogenic and prognostic characteristics in young patients may differ from older patients and young women may present worse outcomes than men. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of men and women with premature STEMI. Methods: A total 1404 consecutive patients were referred to our institution for emergency cardiac catheterization due to STEMI suspicion (1 January 2014–31 December 2018). Patients with confirmed premature (<55 years old in men and <60 in women) STEMI (366 patients, 83% men and 17% women) were included (359 atherothrombotic and 7 spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)). Results: Premature STEMI patients had a high prevalence of classical cardiovascular risk factors. Mean follow-up was 4.1 years (±1.75 SD). Mortality rates, re-hospitalization, and hospital stay showed no significant differences between sexes. More than 10% of women with premature STEMI suffered SCAD. There were no significant differences between sexes, neither among cholesterol levels nor in hypolipemiant therapy. The global survival rates were similar to that expected in the general population of the same sex and age in our region with a significantly higher excess of mortality at 6 years among men compared with the general population. Conclusion: Our results showed a high incidence of cardiovascular risk factors, a high prevalence of SCAD among young women, and a generally good prognosis after standardized treatment. During follow-up, 23% suffered a major cardiovascular event (MACE), without significant differences between sexes and observed survival at 1, 3, and 6 years of follow-up was 96.57% (95% CI 94.04–98.04), 95.64% (95% CI 92.87–97.35), and 94.5% (95% CI 91.12–97.66). An extra effort to prevent/delay STEMI should be invested focusing on smoking avoidance and optimal hypolipemiant treatment both in primary and secondary prevention.

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Primary breast tuberculosis: imaging findings of a rare disease

Insights into Imaging ◽

10.1186/s13244-021-00961-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ali H. Baykan ◽

Hakan S. Sayiner ◽

Ibrahim Inan ◽

Elcin Aydin ◽

Sukru M. Erturk

Keyword(s):

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Rare Disease ◽

Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Malignant Diseases ◽

Imaging Findings ◽

Granulomatous Mastitis ◽

Rare Form ◽

Breast Tuberculosis

AbstractBreast tuberculosis is a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis which tends to affect females of reproductive age, and is much rarer in males, postmenopausal women, and pre-pubescent girls. It is difficult to diagnose because it can mimic benign conditions such as a fibroadenoma, as well as malignant diseases like a carcinoma. It is also particularly difficult to distinguish breast tuberculosis from granulomatous mastitis, so other possible diagnoses should be ruled out first. The diagnosis of breast tuberculosis has three essential pillars: clinical examination, radiological evaluations, and histopathological sampling. Radiological evaluations are not only critical in diagnosis but are also important in the planning of the treatment and during the follow-up. This paper aims to review the imaging findings and the differential diagnosis of breast tuberculosis.

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Safety of High-Dose Dabigatran in Elderly and Younger Patients with a Low Bleeding Risk: A Prospective Observational Study

Cardiology ◽

10.1159/000516368 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Aharon Erez ◽

Gregory Golovchiner ◽

Robert Klempfner ◽

Ehud Kadmon ◽

Gustavo Ruben Goldenberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Observational Study ◽

Elderly Patients ◽

Prospective Observational Study ◽

Bleeding Risk ◽

The Elderly ◽

High Dose ◽

World Population ◽

Younger Patients ◽

End Point

Introduction: In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) at risk for stroke, dabigatran 150 mg twice a day (DE150) is superior to warfarin for stroke prevention. However, there is paucity of data with respect to bleeding risk at this dose in elderly patients (≥75 years). We aimed to evaluate the safety of DE150 in comparison to warfarin in a real-world population with AF and low bleeding risk (HAS-BLED score ≤2). Methods: In this prospective observational study, 754 consecutive patients with AF and HAS-BLED score ≤2 were included. We compared outcome of elderly patients (age ≥75 tears) to younger patients (age <75 years). The primary end point was the combined incidence of all-cause mortality, stroke, systemic emboli, and major bleeding event during a mean follow-up of 1 year. Results: There were 230 (30%) elderly patients, 151 patients were treated with warfarin, and 79 were treated with DE150. Fifty-two patients experienced the primary endpoint during the 1-year follow-up. Among the elderly, at 1-year of follow-up, the cumulative event rate of the combined endpoint in the DE150 and warfarin was 8.9 and 15.9% respectively (p = 0.14). After adjustment for age and gender, patients who were treated with DE150 had a nonsignificant difference in the risk for the combined end point as patients treated with warfarin both among the elderly and among the younger population (HR 0.58, 95% C.I = 0.25–1.39 and HR = 1.12, 95% C.I 0.62–2.00, respectively [p for age-group-by-treatment interaction = 0.83). Conclusions: Our results suggest that Dabigatran 150 mg twice a day can be safely used among elderly AF patients with low bleeding risk.

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