Bilateral dissecting aneurysms presenting with subarachnoid haemorrhage are rare. The treatment strategy for bilateral vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms is controversial because the contralateral vertebral artery is already dissected and can easily undergo enlargement or bleed after non-reconstructive treatment procedures such as trapping or proximal occlusion. Here, we report a case of bilateral vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm presenting with subarachnoid haemorrhage that was treated with stent-assisted coiling for the ruptured side. A 42-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with sudden headache (WFNS grade 1). Computed tomography showed a high-density region in the basal cistern and posterior fossa with more haemorrhage on the right side (Fisher group 3). Three-dimensional computed tomography and three-dimensional rotational angiography demonstrated a bilateral round protrusion on the vertebral arteries with a diameter of 5 mm just distal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. Stent-assisted coiling was performed for the ruptured right side and conservative therapy was selected for the contralateral side. The ruptured side was well embolised, and the contralateral side was stable over the 12-month follow-up period after treatment. The treatment strategy for bilateral vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms presenting with subarachnoid haemorrhage is different from that for unilateral vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms. Non-reconstructive treatment procedures such as trapping may cause contralateral enlargement or rupture; therefore, reconstructive treatment may be appropriate for the ruptured side.
BACKGROUND
Eagle syndrome, or elongated styloid process syndrome, is a rare cause of cerebral infarction. When the styloid process is elongated but the internal carotid artery (ICA) is morphologically normal on three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (3D-CTA), determining the causal relationship between elongation and cerebral infarction is difficult.
OBSERVATIONS
The patient was a 27-year-old man who experienced two left cerebral infarctions in 3 months. On 3D-CTA, the styloid process was elongated, but the structure of the ICA was normal. When the patient’s neck was rotated leftward, the peak systolic velocity and pulsatility index increased (shown via dynamic subtraction ultrasonography) and ICA stenosis was evident (shown via subtraction angiography). The styloid process was removed, and the cerebral infarction did not recur in the 2 years after surgery.
LESSONS
This is the first report to document that indirect compression of ICA by the styloid process can cause Eagle syndrome. The blood flow changes of the ICA on dynamic ultrasonography revealed morphological changes that were hidden on 3D-CTA or nondynamic subtraction angiography.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.