Case report: Bitter vertigo

[Dolichoectasia of the basilar artery caused by cystic medial degeneration, as a cause of neurovascular conflict with damage to the trigeminal, facial and vestibulocochlear nerves]

Cystic medial degeneration (Gsell-Erdheim syndrome, cystic medial necrosis) is considered to be a nonspecific histological manifestation of a group of diseases characterized by degenerative changes in the media, affecting primarily the aorta and adjacent branches, which leads to destruction of the vessel wall, followed by its expansion and, possibly, rupture. The authors describe a case of a 65-year-old female patient with a neurovascular conflict of the three cranial nerves with dolichoectatic basilar artery due to cystic medial degeneration. As a result, the patient has clinical manifestations in the form of hemifacial spasm, trigeminal neuralgia and vestibular paroxysmia. Data from instrumental studies and treatment provided are presented. Neurovascular conflict can be identified in various diseases and is characterized by the complex etiology. The most common clinical manifestations of neurovascular conflict are trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, and vestibular paroxysmia.