Multiple congenital anomalies of carotid and vertebral arteries in a patient with an ischemic stroke in the vertebrobasilar territory. Case report and review of the literature

Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2018;59(4):1279-1285.

Abstract

The congenital anomalies of the supra-aortic arteries and their branches as potential risk factors for cerebrovascular insufficiency are not yet fully investigated and clarified. This report describes the case of a 68-year-old man who was admitted in our Clinic for an acute ischemic stroke in the vertebrobasilar territory. Extracranial color-coded duplex sonography (CCDS) and computed tomography angiography revealed a combination of congenital anomalies of the neck arteries: left internal carotid artery hypoplasia, left common carotid artery hypoplasia, right vertebral artery hypoplasia and the emergence of the left vertebral artery directly from the aortic arch. The aim of this article is to emphasize the value of CCDS as an accurate, non-invasive method of assessing the neck arteries and, also, the importance of the morphological anomalies of the carotid and vertebral arteries in the cerebral hemodynamics.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Basilar Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Basilar Artery / pathology*
  • Brain Ischemia / diagnostic imaging
  • Brain Ischemia / pathology*
  • Carotid Arteries / diagnostic imaging
  • Carotid Arteries / pathology*
  • Congenital Abnormalities / diagnostic imaging
  • Congenital Abnormalities / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Stroke / diagnostic imaging
  • Stroke / pathology*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Vertebral Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Vertebral Artery / pathology*