title: Early diagnosis of vertebral dissecting aneurysm: a magnetic resonance angiography study.
abstract: We report a patient with dissecting aneurysm who presented with a sudden severe headache without any neurological symptoms. Although brain computed tomography (CT) scan and MRI were negative, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) showed a pseudocavity in a segment of the left vertebral artery. In addition, the dissecting wall of the left vertebral artery was clearly visualized in the original images of MRA. Our findings indicate that brain CT, MRI or cerebral angiography alone are sometimes inadequate for the diagnosis of vertebral dissecting aneurysm, and that MRA and its original images are necessary to establish the correct diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Mibu, Tochigi.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Izawa
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: Norito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kokubun
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D020217:Vertebral Artery Dissection / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*