Intracranial supraclinoid ICA dissection causing cerebral infarction and subsequent subarachnoid hemorrhage

Abstract

Background: Intracranial arterial dissection usually leads to cerebral infarction or subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). It is rare to see both complications in one clinical scenario.

Methods: Case report and review of the literature.

Results: A 48-year-old woman suffered a left middle cerebral infarct from a dissection of the left supraclinoid ICA. As she was recovering from the ischemic stroke 5 days later she suffered a SAH. The SAH was caused by rupture of a dissecting pseudoaneurysm, which only became evident on repeat catheter angiography. The dissecting pseudoaneurysm was treated with coil occlusion.

Conclusion: Intracranial ICA dissections are typically associated with either ischemic or hemorrhagic presentation. We report an unusual case of a patient who suffered a SAH a few days after an ischemic stroke from the dissection. This case contradicts the long-held dogma that intracranial dissection can have either an ischemic or a hemorrhagic presentation, but not both.