Evidence for arterial embolization in dissecting aneurysm of the cervical vertebral artery.

Ultrasonographic imaging of the right cervical vertebral artery in a 57-year-old man with recurrent episodes of ischemia in the vertebrobasilar territory revealed a dissecting aneurysm with communication of the true and false lumen. This finding demonstrates that arterial dissection can form a nidus for distal embolization and supports the use of anticoagulation in this disorder.