Vertebral dissecting aneurysm treated with trapping and bilateral posterior inferior cerebellar artery side-to side anastomosis; case report

A case is reported of ruptured dissecting aneurysm of the intracranial vertebral artery (VA) operated on with VA trapping and bilateral posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) side-to-side anastomosis. A 42-year-old male suddenly developed severe headache and vomiting. On admission, 3 hours later, he was in a state of moderate confusion (Japan Coma Scale 3) and had neck stiffness. Computed tomography (CT) revealed diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage, especially thick in the posterior fossa with right side dominance. Right vertebral angiography disclosed a fusiform dilatation with proximal narrowing of the right VA which originated just proximal to the VA-PICA junction. Lateral suboccipital craniectomy was undertaken with the patient in a left park bench position. Right VA was dilated and discolored black, and right PICA arose from the proximal portion of this aneurysmal dilatation. Since it was impossible to clip the VA distal to the PICA for the proximal clip-occlusion, the VA including the VA-PICA junction was trapped. Considering the risk of developing infarction at the PICA territory, bilateral PICA was anastomosed at their posterior medullary segment in a side-to-side fashion because the occipital artery (OA) had been cut at the skin incision and could not be used for the OA-PICA anastomosis. The postoperative course was benign, but a mild lateral medullary syndrome developed. CT revealed no abnormal low density area and left vertebral angiography demonstrated the patency of the bypass. Thereafter, the deficit subsided gradually and the patient was discharged. He is presently working without neurological deficit.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Moyamoya disease associated with bilateral occlusion of the vertebral artery

An unusual case of moyamoya disease associated with bilateral occlusion of the vertebral artery is reported. This case shows several embryologic collateral channels, which are typical of moyamoya disease, around the brainstem, that is, a transdural anastomosis between the superior cerebellar artery and the posterior meningeal artery, a leptomeningeal anastomosis between the superior cerebellar artery and the posterior inferior cerebellar artery, and moyamoyalike collateral vessels via primitive lateral anastomotic channels of Padget. Bilateral encephalomyosyn-angiosis (temporal muscle graft) were performed. Post-operatively, no ischemic attacks have developed for 6 years.     

Bilateral anomalous posterior inferior cerebellar artery-anterior inferior cerebellar artery anastomotic arteries associated with a ruptured cerebral aneurysm--case report

A 50-year-old man presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured cerebral aneurysm arising from a left posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA)-anterior inferior cerebellar artery anastomotic artery manifesting as severe headache, obtundation, and quadriplegia. Conventional and three-dimensional digital subtraction angiography showed that the anastomotic complex was present bilaterally and both vertebral arteries terminated at the origin of the PICA. The identification of this anomalous vascular network allowed coil embolization of the broad-based aneurysm with occlusion of the parent artery. The patient had residual moderate disturbance of consciousness and quadriplegia before transfer for rehabilitation.     

Superficial temporal to superior cerebellar artery anastomosis for rostral brain stem infarction

The authors report a case of superficial temporal to superior cerebellar artery anastomosis (STA-SCA anastomosis) for progressing rostral brain stem infarction with an excellent result. Precise operative techniques were also described. A 47-year-old male was admitted to our hospital on November 9, 1984, because of sudden onset of dysarthria and ataxic gait. CT revealed a low density area in the pons. Left vertebral angiogram showed occlusion of the left vertebral artery just distal to the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). Arterial branch of the left cerebellar hemisphere were filled via the left PICA to the left SCA and anterior inferior cerebellar artery anastomosis. Right brachial angiogram showed the hypoplastic right vertebral artery which ended at the PICA. The rostral basilar artery, both posterior cerebral arteries (PCA's) and right SCA were filled through anastomosis from the right PICA. The posterior circulation was not filled by either of the carotid arteries. In spite of antiplatelet agglutination therapy, the patient had two more episodes of dysarthria, dysphagia, right hemiparesis and gait disturbance. Because of progressing stroke, STA-SCA anastomosis was carried out on the right side on February 27, 1985. During operation, the blood pressure was maintained above the level of 130 mmHg, and intravenous mannitol injection and spinal drainage were done to preserve the right temporal lobe from intracerebral hematoma and/or edema caused by retraction. Postoperatively, the patient has been free from new ischemic attack. He has only slight hemiparesis now eight months after operation. Right external carotid angiogram showed a patent STA-SCA bypass and good filling of SCA's and PCA's bilaterally.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Surgical correction of lesions affecting the second portion of the vertebral artery

Substantial controversy has surrounded the diagnosis and management of vertebrobasilar ischemic events, with no consensus on the value of medical or surgical treatment of patients symptomatic with brain stem ischemia who have angiographically proven vertebral artery lesions. This report presents our experience with the surgical treatment of 12 of 88 patients with angiographically verified lesions in the vertebral artery who were symptomatic for 1 to 12 months before their evaluation. None experienced symptomatic relief with antiplatelet agents, nor did the administration of anticoagulants in 4 of the patients provide any benefit. The lesions included bilateral vertebral artery occlusion with distal reconstitution through muscular collaterals in 6 patients, unilateral vertebral artery hypoplasia with contralateral long-tailed lesions from the vertebral artery origin to C-5 in 3 patients, and severe bilateral vertebral artery origin lesions extending beyond the C-5 level in 3 patients. A vertebral endarterectomy and vertebral-carotid transposition in the second portion of the artery were successfully used to reestablish flow and obtain symptomatic relief in 10 of the 12 cases; 1 of these procedures had to be redone because of a persistent stenosis at C-4. Another patient had a saphenous vein graft from the common carotid to the vertebral artery at C-5. The remaining patient had an anastomosis of the distal external carotid to the vertebral artery at C-3, but this failed and an anastomosis of the occipital artery to the anterior inferior cerebellar artery had to be completed to reestablish flow.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Cerebellar hemorrhage after coil embolization for a ruptured vertebral dissecting aneurysm

BACKGROUND: We present a case of ruptured vertebral dissecting aneurysm that exhibited cerebellar hemorrhage after successful embolization of the vertebral artery including the dissected site. CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old man suffered a sudden onset of severe occipital headache when he looked up. Computed tomography demonstrated subarachnoid hemorrhage. Angiography revealed a right vertebral dissecting aneurysm distal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. Endovascular embolization of the aneurysm was performed with preservation of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. The next day, the patient suffered a cerebellar hemorrhage in the vermis. The intracranial pressure was controlled by external ventricular drainage. The patient was discharged with mild cerebellar ataxia and bilateral abducens nerve palsy. CONCLUSION: In a case of vertebral dissecting aneurysm distal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery, blood circulation in the vertebral arterial system may change after embolization of the aneurysm. In our case, the preserved posterior inferior cerebellar artery might have been hemodynamically stressed postoperatively, resulting in cerebellar hemorrhage. Therefore, strict control of blood pressure is essential in the acute stage after occlusion of the aneurysm.     

Treatment of vertebral artery aneurysms with posterior inferior cerebellar artery-posterior inferior cerebellar artery anastomosis combined with parent artery occlusion

BACKGROUND: In patients with aneurysms that involve the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) and require occlusion of the vertebral artery (VA), revascularization of the PICA is commonly performed. We present six patients with dissecting VA aneurysms who underwent PICA-PICA anastomosis combined with parent artery occlusion. METHODS: After a lower lateral suboccipital craniectomy and partial resection of the jugular tubercle, anastomoses were performed in a side-to-side fashion at the posterior medullary segment of the PICA. The VA was subsequently occluded by clipping proximal and distal to the aneurysm, and the PICA was occluded by clipping distal to the aneurysm. RESULTS: Postoperative cerebral angiography demonstrated patency of the anastomosis and regression of the aneurysm in five of six patients. The remaining patient experienced hemorrhage from contralateral VA dissection and subsequently died. One patient experienced myopathy of the lower extremities secondary to intraoperative fixed board compression and developed permanent lower extremity muscular weakness. The remaining four cases experienced no new neurologic deficits. CONCLUSION: PICA-PICA anastomosis is a useful procedure for reconstruction of the PICA when parent vessel occlusion or trapping is necessary to exclude a VA aneurysm involving the origin of the PICA.     

Flow reverse therapy for ruptured dissecting aneurysm of basilar trunk: case report

Treatment of ruptured dissecting aneurysm of basilar trunk (BADAN) has been controversial yet. We report a case of ruptured BADAN successfully treated with endovascular occlusion of the bilateral vertebral artery (VA) proximal to posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), allowing retrograde flow via the posterior communicating arteries to basilar artery. A 58-year-old woman who had subarachnoid hemorrhage was treated with endovascular occlusion of the right VA in acute stage after ballon occlusion test (BOT) of the right VA. Because following BOT of the left VA showed conscious level down, left VA could not be occluded. Follow-up angiography after 26 days revealed regrowth of BADAN. So left VA occlusion was tolerable by BOT after 1 month, we performed endovascular occlusion of the left VA proximal to PICA. She discharged with no neurological deficit after 3 months. Postoperative angiograms 3 months after onset showed complete healing of the aneurysm. The follow-up MRA at 19 months showed no recurrence. We discussed the therapeutic strategy of ruptured BADAN. Flow reverse therapy of bilateral VA occlusion by endovascular method for ruptured BADAN is one of the effective therapy.     

Moyamoya Disease of Adult Onset Brain Stem Haemorrhage Associated with Bilateral Occlusion of the Vertebral Arteries – Case Report

Summary An unusual and first case of moyamoya disease of adult onset brain stem haemorrhage associated with occlusion of both vertebral arteries is reported. A 30-year-old man suddenly suffered from dyspnea, dysphagia, and left-sided hemisensory disturbance. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a fresh haematoma in the left medulla oblongata and various-sized old infarcts in both parietal lobes. Cerebral angiograms disclosed occlusion of the bilateral internal carotid arteries on both sides at their intracranial portion, accompanied with the developed basal moyamoya vessels. The right vertebral artery occluded at its V2-V3 segment, in which the posterior inferior cerebellar artery was opacified via the posterior spinal artery, and the basilar artery was filled from the anterior spinal artery. The left vertebral artery was also occluded at the craniovertebral junction (V4) with collateral flow. Only one case of moyamoya disease associated with bilateral occlusion of the vertebral artery has been reported previously, and a haemorrhage into the medulla oblongata in moyamoya disease has never been described.     

Ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm followed by spontaneous acute occlusion and early recanalization: case report

A 47-year-old man presented with a ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm manifesting as subarachnoid hemorrhage followed by acute occlusion and early recanalization of the affected artery. Cerebral angiography 2 hours after the onset of the symptom showed pearl-and-string sign in the right vertebral artery. Serial angiography showed that the affected artery was occluded at 12 hours but was recanalized on the 4th day. The dissecting aneurysm was resected with side-to-side anastomosis between the bilateral posterior inferior cerebellar arteries. Postoperative cerebral angiography demonstrated disappearance of the lesion and patency of the right posterior inferior cerebellar artery via the anastomosis. Histological examination of the lesion showed hematoma between the media and adventitia, disrupting the internal elastica and intima. Acute occlusion and early recanalization of the affected artery may occur in ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms. Serial neurological and neuroradiological examinations are essential to decide the timing and method of treatment.     

Posterior inferior to posterior inferior cerebellar artery anastomosis combined with trapping for vertebral artery aneurysm. Case report

A case is presented in which a giant intracranial vertebral artery aneurysm gave rise to an associated ipsilateral posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) from its waist. Proximal vertebral artery ligation at C-1 was achieved. The aneurysm filled from the opposite vertebrobasilar junction. Direct intracranial trapping of the right vertebral aneurysm was followed by successful anastomosis of the proximally sectioned right PICA to the adjacent left PICA in an end-to-end fashion.     

Clinical presentation and treatment of distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysms

Aneurysms located at the distal portion of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) are rare, and their clinical features are not fully understood. We report the clinical features and management of 30 distal PICA aneurysms in 28 patients treated during the past decade at Kagoshima University Hospital and affiliated hospitals. Our series includes 20 women and eight men. Of their 30 aneurysms, 24 were ruptured, and six were unruptured; there were 27 saccular and two fusiform aneurysms; one was dissecting. Their location was at the anterior-medullary (n?=?4), lateral-medullary (n?=?9), tonsillomedullary (n?=?7), telovelotonsillar (n?=?6), and cortical (n?=?4) segment of the PICA. In 18 patients, angiographic features suggested hemodynamic stress including an absent contralateral PICA or ipsilateral anterior inferior cerebellar artery, termination of the vertebral artery (VA) at the PICA, and hyperplasia or occlusion of the contralateral VA. As three patients died before surgery, 27 aneurysms in 25 patients were surgically treated. Of these, 6 were unruptured aneurysms; 20 were clipped via midline or lateral suboccipital craniotomy, and 5 were embolized with Guglielmi coils; in one, the PICA flow was reconstructed by OA-PICA anastomosis, and in the other one, the PICA was resected. Of the 25 surgically treated patients, 22 (88%) had good outcomes. The predominant contributor to the development of distal PICA aneurysms is thought to be increased hemodynamic stress attributable to anomalies in the PICA and related posterior circulation. Both direct clipping and coil embolization yielded favorable outcomes in our series. However, considering the difficulties that may be encountered at direct clipping in the acute stage and the availability of advanced techniques and instrumentation, aneurysmal coiling is now the first option to address these aneurysms.     

A ruptured aneurysm of the distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery associated with basilar artery occlusion: a case report]

We presented a case of a distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysm associated with basilar artery occlusion. A 66-year-old female was found unconscious at home and transferred to our hospital in a deep coma on February 9, 1991. Emergency CT scan revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage in the posterior fossa. She was treated conservatively because of her poor neurological status. The angiograms performed on February 13 showed occlusion of the basilar artery and a saccular aneurysm at the cortical branch of the PICA. The contrast material remained in the aneurysm for a long time throughout the venous phase. The left vertebral artery was markedly hypoplastic. The patient improved remarkably after admission and became almost alert late in February, although she still presented tetraparesis, dysfunction of lower cranial nerves and other neurological signs linked with the brain stem. The unusual angiographical findings in this case prompted us to perform the examination again, expecting some angiographical changes. The angiograms taken on March 15 revealed spontaneous disappearance of the aneurysm, although the basilar artery occlusion remained unchanged. The authors discussed some problems involved in this case, including the relation between the aneurysm and the arterial occlusion, and the mechanism of spontaneous disappearance of the aneurysm.     

Treatment of vertebral artery aneurysms with transposition of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery to the vertebral artery combined with parent artery occlusion. Technical note

The authors describe transposition of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) to the vertebral artery (VA) combined with parent artery occlusion for the treatment of VA aneurysms in cases in which a clip could not be applied because of the origin of the ipsilateral PICA. The aneurysm is trapped through a lower lateral suboccipital craniectomy. The PICA is then cut just distal to the aneurysm, and the PICA and VA proximal to the aneurysm are anastomosed in an end-to-end or end-to-side fashion. The surgical procedure was successfully performed in two patients, each of whom had hypoplastic occipital arteries (OAs). The PICA contralateral to the lesion was hypoplastic in one patient and distant to the ipsilateral PICA in the other patient. Mild transient dysphagia developed postoperatively in one patient due to glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve palsy, and the other patient had an uneventful postoperative course. In both patients, postoperative cerebral angiography demonstrated good patency of the transposed PICA. These results show that transposition of the PICA to the VA is a useful procedure for the reconstruction of the PICA when parent artery occlusion is necessary to exclude a VA aneurysm involving the origin of the PICA and when OA-PICA anastomosis or PICA-PICA anastomosis cannot be performed.     

External carotid-basilar anastomosis: case report (author's transl)]

The occipital-vertebral anastomosis is one of the anastomotic channels between the external carotid system and the intracranial vessels. In this paper, we have reported a large, left external carotid-basilar anastomosis which was incidentally revealed in a patient with left hemiparesis due to arteriosclerotic occlusion of the right internal carotid artery. A 55-year-old man suddenly developed left hemiparesis without headache, unconsciousness or vomiting on the morning of January 15, 1973. When he was referred to our service on April 11, the noticeable neurological findings were left hemiparesis and left homonymous hemianopsia. The right carotid angiogram revealed occlusion of the internal carotid artery associated with collateral channels from the external carotid artery. Also a segment of the vertebral artery was visualized via the muscular branch of the occipital artery. In the left carotid angiogram, the posterior circulation was markedly visualized throught the left vertebral artery originating from the external carotid artery trunk. This anastomotic vessel had a large branch with constant caliber leading to the occipital fossa. But the posterior cerebral artery was directly visualized from the internal carotid artery without connection to the basilar artery. Repeated bilateral brachial angiograms revealed hypoplasis of the vertebral arteries. It was suggested that the persistent external carotid-basilar anastomosis might be constantly associated with hypoplasia or aplasia of the bilateral vertebral arteries.     

Endovascular occlusion of intracranial vessels for curative treatment of unclippable aneurysms: report of 16 cases

Among 121 intracerebral aneurysms presenting at one institution between 1984 and 1989, 16 were treated by endovascular means. All 16 lesions were intradural and intracranial, and had failed either surgical or endovascular attempts at selective exclusion with parent vessel preservation. The lesions included four giant middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms, one giant anterior communicating artery aneurysm, six giant posterior cerebral artery aneurysms, one posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm, one giant mid-basilar artery aneurysm, two giant fusiform basilar artery aneurysms, and one dissecting vertebral artery aneurysm. One of the 16 patients failed an MCA test occlusion and was approached surgically after attempted endovascular selective occlusion. Treatment involved pretreatment evaluation of cerebral blood flow followed by a preliminary parent vessel test occlusion under neuroleptic analgesia with vigilant neurological monitoring. If the test occlusion was tolerated, it was immediately followed by permanent occlusion of the parent vessel with either detachable or nondetachable balloon or coils. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 8 years. Excellent outcomes were obtained in 12 cases with complete angiographic obliteration of the aneurysm and no new neurological deficits and/or improvement of the preembolization symptoms. Four patients died: two related to the procedure, one secondary to rupture of another untreated aneurysm, and the fourth from a postoperative MCA thrombosis after having failed endovascular test occlusion. The angiographic, clinical, and cerebral blood flow criteria for occlusion tolerance are discussed.     

Revascularization of vertebro-basilar occlusive disease

Various surgical techniques have been reported for vascular reconstruction in cases of vertebro-basilar occlusive disease, but sufficient study has not been made on the question of which technique should be applied in various pathological conditions. Based on our experience, we have examined the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques. In 34 patients with clinically and angiographically diagnosed vertebro-basilar insufficiency, the reconstructive vascular surgery to the posterior circulation was performed. Preoperatively, 24 had vertebro-basilar TIAs, 2 had RIND, 3 had progressing symptoms and 5 had brain stem infarctions verified by persistent deficits. In the 18 patients with intracranial vertebro-basilar occlusive lesions, the bypass were done to the proximal posterior inferior cerebellar artery in 7 cases, proximal superior cerebellar artery in 9 cases, posterior cerebral artery in one and anterior inferior cerebellar artery in one. In the 16 patients with extracranial occlusive lesions of vertebral artery, endarterectomy or subclavian-vertebral transposition was performed. With the exception of one of the progressing stroke cases, in which the surgery was ultimately too late, there were no cases in which neurological symptoms become aggravated following operation. Patency was 94% (32/34). In light of these findings, the following conclusions concerning the operative indication and the selection of the technique have been drawn. In cases with occlusive lesions of basilar artery, the first choice should be bypass to the proximal superior cerebellar artery. In cases with occlusive lesions of vertebral artery, bypass to the posterior inferior cerebellar or superior cerebellar or anterior inferior cerebellar artery should be performed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Treatment of dissecting basilar artery aneurysm by flow reversal

Summary Dissecting aneurysm of the basilar artery is a rare but increasingly recognized entity, with a frequently fatal or morbid outcome. Unlike the well established proximal occlusion and trapping approaches to vertebral artery dissections, surgical intervention for basilar lesions has been limited to wrapping techniques for arterial wall reinforcement. We report a case of midbasilar dissecting aneurysm successfully treated by clipping the proximal basilar artery below the level of the anterior inferior cerebellar arteries, allowing retrograde flow via the posterior communicating arteries to provide continued basilar perfusion. With the growing recognition of basilar dissection and pseudoaneurysm formation there is a need for improved therapeutic options. We suggest that definitive treatment can be achieved using the principle of proximal occlusion and flow reversal, and review the pertinent literature on basilar artery dissection.     

Occipital to posterior inferior cerebellar artery bypass surgery

The results, complications, and technical aspects of occipital to posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) bypass surgery are reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups: those considered to be a high risk for posterior circulation infarct but not disabled by the symptoms or deficits (eight patients), and those moderately or severely disabled at the time of admission (eight patients). Postoperative angiography revealed that 15 of the 16 grafts were patent. In 10 of the 15 patent grafts, the bypass graft served as a sole or major blood supply of the vertebral basilar system; in five patients, flow was limited to the distribution of the PICA. Eight patients achieved full employment or normal activity, six were improved but did not return to full employment, and two patients were unchanged. Ataxia was the major residual deficit in these patients.     

Cruciate hemiplegia: a clinical syndrome, a neuroanatomical controversy. Report of two cases and review of the literature

Basilar artery thrombosis has a very poor prognosis. A 56-year-old comatose man with acute basilar artery occlusion was successfully treated with local urokinase infusion which reopened the basilar artery and revealed a midbasilar stenotic plaque. This procedure was followed by a superficial temporal artery to superior cerebellar artery anastomosis for protection of the posterior circulation.