Basilar Artery Occlusion with "Seizures" as a Presenting Symptom: Three Cases Treated Using Mechanical Thrombectomy.

BACKGROUND

Basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is a rare, potentially fatal cause of ischemic stroke. It is often challenging to diagnose, especially when the presenting symptom is "seizures". We present 3 cases of patients with BAO presenting with seizures.

CASE DESCRIPTION: The first patient was a 53-year-old man with clonic convulsions. On angiography, BAO was detected and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) was performed. The modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months after treatment was 1. The second patient was a 64-year-old man with generalized convulsions. He was diagnosed with BAO and vertebral artery dissection and was treated with MT, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, and stenting. The modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months after treatment was 3. The third patient was a 77-year-old man with tonic convulsions. He was diagnosed with BAO and treated with MT. However, he did not survive.

CONCLUSIONS

BAO is devastating; however, it is a treatable disease. Our report suggests that BAO should be suspected in patients presenting with initial convulsive seizures.