Traumatic Vertebral Artery Dissection Without Cervical Spine Injury Treated by Mechanical Thrombectomy

TL;DR

A woman with a traumatic vertebral artery dissection causing brain artery blockage was successfully treated with mechanical thrombectomy.

Contribution

First reported case of traumatic vertebral artery dissection causing basilar artery occlusion treated with mechanical thrombectomy without cervical spine injury.

Findings

Mechanical thrombectomy achieved complete recanalization of the basilar artery occlusion.

Anticoagulation therapy prevented recurrence of dissection or occlusion during follow-up.

Traumatic VAD can cause BAO without cervical vertebral fracture in adults.

Abstract

A 59-year-old female injured in a motor vehicle accident presented with progressively impaired consciousness, and emergent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed basilar artery occlusion (BAO). Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) was performed immediately and achieved complete recanalization. Contrast-enhanced MRI also indicated right vertebral artery dissection (VAD), and the patient was subsequently diagnosed with artery-to-artery embolism caused by traumatic VAD. Anticoagulation therapy was initiated postoperatively, and there was no VAD or BAO recurrence during the three-month follow-up. This is the first reported case of BAO caused by traumatic VAD in an adult without accompanying cervical vertebral fracture treated using MT.

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