Acute occlusion and recanalization of vertebral artery dissection after subarachnoid hemorrhage: usefulness of bilateral simultaneous vertebral angiography and basiparallel anatomic scanning-magnetic resonance imaging. Case report.

A 41-year-old man presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Initial digital subtraction angiography showed occlusion of the right vertebral artery (VA), which recanalized immediately, and dissecting aneurysm on the distal part of the right VA. Basiparallel anatomic scanning (BPAS)-magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed the morphology of the aneurysm clearly. Coil embolization of the entire affected artery was performed using bilateral vertebral angiography road mapping. Although acute occlusion of ruptured VA dissection may have the potential for natural healing, spontaneous recanalization seems to be hazardous because of rebleeding. In cases with acute occlusion of parent artery, BPAS-MR imaging and bilateral simultaneous vertebral angiography may give useful information.