title: Dolichoectasia of the circle of Willis arteries and fusiform aneurysm of basilar artery - case report and review of the literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dolichoectasia of intracranial arteries is a rare arteriopathy characterized by elongation and widening of the arteries and disturbance of the laminar blood flow. It involves mostly vertebral and basilar arteries. In advanced cases, formation of a fusiform aneurysm is possible.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sixty-four-year-old female with hypertension was admitted to the hospital with severe non-systemic vertigo and dysarthria, which had lasted for a couple of weeks. Imaging of the brain revealed dolichoectasia of arteries of the circle of Willis coexisting with a fusiform aneurysm of the basilar artery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intracranial arterial dolichoectasia may be asymptomatic for a long time. However, in many cases it leads to neurological symptoms associated with haemodynamic disturbance (due to unstable wall clots) and mass effect caused by the widened vessel.
authors: Department of General and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.
authors: Bogusława
authors: B
authors: Baran
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Kornafel
authors: Maciej
authors: M
authors: Guziński
authors: Marek
authors: M
authors: Sąsiadek