title: Dysarthria during basilar artery balloon occlusion.
abstract: A 49-year-old woman presenting with recurrent, reversible brainstem symptoms and a distal basilar artery aneurysm underwent balloon test occlusion. Five minutes after balloon inflation she developed a reversible isolated dysarthria. Despite failing the test occlusion (and after an additional brainstem event), the patient underwent surgery with placement of a clip across the basilar artery. The operation was tolerated without complication. The authors conclude that 1) pure dysarthria may be a symptom of temporary basilar artery occlusion and 2) balloon testing may overestimate the risk of basilar artery clipping.
authors.affiliation: The Neurological Institute, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Conolly
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Duong
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Prestigiacomo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mast
mesh_terms: D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D004401:Dysarthria / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged