Endovascular management of dolichoectasia of the posterior cerebral artery report

Abstract

Congenital or nonatherosclerotic dolichoectasia is a rare condition; its etiology, natural history, and indications and technique of treatment are not yet clarified. During a workup for recent headaches and left-sided paresthesia in a 48 year-old female patient, brain MR imaging and cerebral angiography showed a large dolichoectasia of the P2 segment of the right posterior cerebral artery (PCA). The patient passed endovascular testing for occlusion of P2 with both balloon test occlusion and selective amytal testing. Endovascular coil occlusion of the right PCA dolichoectasia was successfully performed with hydrogel coils.

Fig 1.

Anteroposterior left vertebral angiogram demonstrates the right PCA dolichoectasia (arrow) just distal to the P1 segment. Mild dolichoectasia of the basilar artery and distal right anterior inferior cerebellar artery is also present.