Abstract
Spontaneous basilar artery dissection is a rare condition and a diagnostic challenge
with a high potential for morbidity and mortality if untreated. It has an estimated
incidence of 1 to 1.5 cases per 100,000 people. Few cases have been described in the
literature up to the present day. The clinical outcomes, prognosis and treatment remain
uncertain. The authors report the rare case of a 55-year-old female patient who presented
to the Interventional Neuroradiology service at Hospital São Marcos, Teresina, in
the state of Piauí, Brazil, with a history of severe headache located in the occipital
region and in the nape with no improvement using common analgesics. A magnetic resonance
imaging of the brain showed a saccular dilatation in the basilar artery, and a digital
cerebral angiography showed a basilar artery dissection associated with a dissecting
aneurysm.
Keywords
dissection - basilar artery - dissecting aneurysm
