MR diagnosis of cerebellar infarction due to vertebral artery dissection in children

Cerebellar infarction after sneezing

Vertebral Artery Dissection (VAD) is a rare condition that can be caused by a wide amplitude of neck movement, which injures the vessel wall and can cause ischemia in the cerebellum. We present a 37-year-old man with herniated lumbar disc and allergic rhinosinusitis, which caused sneezing spells. After one of these bouts with a ricochet of the head, he presented C3 misalignment with local pain. Twenty-one days later, affected by a new crisis, he presented left temporal headache, nystagmus, and vertigo. After 3 days, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) identified 2 regions of cerebellar ischemia and filling failure of the right vertebral artery. After 2 days, Computed Angiotomography (CT Angiography) was performed and showed right VAD with a local thrombus, without aneurysmal signs. Transcranial Doppler did not indicate an increase in blood flow from this artery. The suggested treatment involved administration of anticoagulant Apixabana 5mg, 12/12h, for 3 months, until the condition was reevaluated with new Angio CT and MRI. It was recommended that the patient was released from work for 1 month and forbidden from doing intense physical exercises for 3 months; however, due to setbacks, these deadlines were extended until a new appointment, 4 months after the first visit. The new tests showed no changes, indicating that the condition was stable. This case aims to indicate the possible investigations of the diagnosis and therapeutic options of the rare association between VAD with cerebellar infarction in a well-documented case.

Sumo-Associated Traumatic Vertebral Artery Dissection Precipitating Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Association with Bifid Origins of the Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery

BACKGROUND

Traumatic vertebral artery dissection (tVAD) is frequently accompanied by cerebellar infarction, but subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is rare.

CASE DESCRIPTION

We report a unique case of tVAD precipitating SAH, from which the patient fully recovered, most likely because of the protective effects of an anomalously duplicated posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) origin. A 17-year-old Sumo wrestler experienced a brief loss of consciousness after an attack by an opponent to his neck. Head computed tomography imaging demonstrated diffuse posterior fossa SAH; cerebral angiography demonstrated left vertebral artery (VA) occlusion, which was thought to be most likely attributable to tVAD. Angiography revealed distal PICA reconstitution, supplied by collateral arterial flow from the meningeal branch of the proximal ipsilateral VA. An external ventricular drain was placed acutely for treatment of SAH-induced hydrocephalus; however, the patient had an otherwise uneventful course, and remained without clinical evidence of ischemic infarct. A repeat imaging confirming a probable duplicated PICA origin from the VA, distal to the tVAD-associated thrombosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Of particular interest, the patient's abnormal anatomy may have been a mixed blessing, with a more fragile bifid PICA potentially underlying the unexpected development of SAH, whereas the sister branch simultaneously spared him a potentially catastrophic infarction via arterial collateralization.

Ataxia and Headache in a Child: A Case of Acute Cerebellar Infarction

A 4-year-old female patient presents to the pediatric emergency department with acute onset of ataxia and occipital headache. Initial investigation, including computed tomography imaging, failed to demonstrate any focal neurologic lesion. Subsequent studies, however, reveal an acute thrombosis of the superior cerebellar artery. Further work up identified the likely causative factor to be a heterozygous mutation at the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene. In this case report, we will discuss the work-up of pediatric ataxia, the evaluation and management of cerebrovascular accidents in children, and the association between stroke and mutation of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase homozygous mutation in a young boy with cerebellar infarction

Posterior circulation vascular occlusive disease in children is a rare and uncommonly reported event. Among the numerous risk factors, the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutation is considered to be a common genetic cause of thrombosis in adults and children. Recently, a link between the MTHFR mutation and cerebrovascular disorders was reported in children. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a great improvement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), making the in vivo anatomical and pathological study of the brain and its fibers possible. In our patient cerebellar infarction was associated with MTHFR mutation and, in a standard neurological examination, DTI revealed normal white matter tracts.

Cerebellar infarction in the territory of the superior cerebellar artery in children

Posterior circulation infarction is uncommon in children. Vertebral artery dissection is an unusual cause of posterior circulation infarction in children. We report on a 12-year-old boy with spontaneous left-extracranial vertebral artery dissection associated with isolated ipsilateral superior cerebellar artery territory infarction, diagnosed clinically and by brain computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic resonance angiography. Cerebral angiography demonstrated a flame-like occlusion of the left vertebral artery at level C(2)-C(3), and indicated that artery-to-artery embolus may be a mechanism of superior cerebellar artery territory infarction. We emphasize that vertebral artery dissection should be considered in a child with acute signs of posterior circulation ischemia.

Vertebral artery dissection in children: a comprehensive review

Vertebral artery dissection (VAD) has been infrequently recognized in children. The authors have reviewed 68 reported cases of VAD in children in the existing literature. An association between routine types of neck movement in sports and the evolution of VAD was recognized in half of the reported cases. Boys outnumbered girls by a ratio of 6.6 to 1, in contrast to adults, for whom the male to female ratio is approximately equal (1.3 to 1). Neck pain, one of the hallmark symptoms of VAD in adults, was infrequently noted in this young population (12%). Most children presented with various combinations of symptoms and signs, including ataxia (53%), headache (38%) and vomiting (34%). Eye signs or symptoms were noted in 72% of patients, and paresis/paralysis of one or more extremity occurred in 54%. Angiography was the method most frequently used to diagnose VAD (63/68; 93%). Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) revealed pathognomonic signs of VAD in only 3 out of 13 patients evaluated (23%). In this series of 68 patients, 48 reports failed to indicate whether or not a cervical X-ray was performed, but in the 20 patients for whom such information was recorded, half had skeletal abnormalities in the occipital/atlas/axis region. The most common treatments were antiplatelet therapy (n = 15) and anticoagulation with (n = 8) or without (n = 7) supplemental antiplatelet therapy. Asymptomatic recovery occurred in 12 of the 15 patients (80%) who received antiplatelet therapy compared with 4 of the 15 patients (27%) who received anticoagulation therapy with or without antiplatelet therapy. There is a very high incidence of associated cervical anomalies in children with VAD. Further studies are required to determine if noninvasive examinations such as magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, computed tomography angiography and MRA could replace angiography as the modality of choice in establishing the diagnosis of VAD in children. The role of different therapies for children presenting with symptoms related to VAD is unclear.