Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec;12(6):e228-e231.
doi: 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000200088.

Intracranial Corkscrew Angiopathy

Affiliations

Intracranial Corkscrew Angiopathy

Rakhee Lalla et al. Neurol Clin Pract. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this case report was to describe a rare presentation of corkscrew cerebral angiopathy presenting as subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

Methods: We present a young woman who presented with a thunderclap headache, found to have a nonaneurysmal SAH.

Results: Cerebral angiogram revealed corkscrew angiopathy in medium-sized vessels and multiple micro-occlusions with collateralization. No intracranial aneurysm was detected. Extensive workup for vasculitis and genetic causes for vasculopathy was unrevealing. The patient had no neurologic deficits, and her symptoms resolved.

Discussion: This is an extremely rare presentation of subarachnoid hemorrhage due to corkscrew angiopathy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Noncontrast CT Showing Acute SAH Within the Left Sylvian Fissure
SAH = subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Figure 2
Figure 2. CT Angiogram Showing Suspected Bilobed Left M2 Aneurysm
Figure 3
Figure 3. Lateral View of the Left ICA Showing Multifocal Corkscrew Appearance of the Left MCA and ACA Branches
The left ophthalmic artery is absent. ACA = anterior cerebral artery; ICA = internal cerebral artery; MCA = middle cerebral artery.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Right-Eye Fundus Photograph Demonstrating Retinal Arteriolar Tortuosity With Normal Venuoles

References

    1. Ciurică S, Lopez-Sublet M, Loeys BL, et al. . Arterial tortuosity. Hypertension. 2019;73(5):951-960. doi: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.118.11647 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alurkar A, Karanam LSP, Oak SP. Corkscrew angiopathy of intracranial vessels in a young stroke patient: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2012;6(1):358. doi: 10.1186/1752-1947-6-358 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kaiser D, Leonhardt GK, Weiss N, et al. . Pearls & oy-sters: primary cerebral buerger disease: a rare differential diagnosis of stroke in young adults. Neurology. 2021;97(11):551-554. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012140 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Coutts SB, Matysiak-Scholze U, Kohlhase J, Innes AM. Intracerebral hemorrhage in a young man. Can Med Assoc J. 2011;183(1):E61–E64. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.091496 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Muci-Mendoza R, Ramella M, Fuenmayor D. Corkscrew retinal vessels in neurofibromatosis type 1: report of 12 cases, 86; 2002. bjophthalmol.com - PMC - PubMed