Fulminant Vasculitis Associated with Extracranial Dissections and Occlusion, Ischemic Strokes, and Aneurysm Rupture: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background: Central nervous system vasculitis has multiple presentations, including stroke, seizures, cranial nerve palsies, and encephalopathy.

Case description: We present the case of an unresponsive 45-year-old woman with vasculitis associated with fulminant intracranial vessel dissection and occlusion with ischemic strokes and subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to aneurysm rupture. Imaging studies demonstrated both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. She had a ruptured right internal carotid artery dorsal variant aneurysm, right vertebral artery dissection with occlusion and posterior inferior cerebellar artery infarct, left vertebral artery dissection, and severe vasculitis involving intracranial and extracranial vessels. She initially was treated for her vasculitis with high-dose steroids followed by clip wrapping of the dorsal variant aneurysm. Unfortunately, her surgery was complicated by intraprocedural rupture, and the patient died during her hospitalization.

Conclusions: Fulminant central nervous system vasculitis can occur with critical vascular anomalies that require emergent intervention and should be part of the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with these multiple vascular pathologies.

Keywords: Cerebral aneurysm; Dissections; Stroke; Vasculitis.