title: Pure arterial malformation of the posterior cerebral artery: importance of its recognition.
abstract: The finding of dilated, elongated, and tortuous vessels on brain imaging should prompt clinicians to determine what vascular anomaly is present. Importantly, not all suspicious serpentine flow voids are manifestations of arteriovenous malformations or arteriovenous fistulas. Other types of intracranial vasculopathies should also be considered. The authors report a rare case of dilated, tortuous, and redundant left posterior communicating artery and left P2 segment of the posterior cerebral artery identified in a young healthy adult that remained stable over a 30-year period. Dynamic and 3D images were critical for determining the type of vascular anomaly and for guiding appropriate management. The authors propose that this case represents a pure arterial malformation and discuss its distinguishing features.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurosurgery, Neurointerventional Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095-7436, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
authors.forename: Radoslav
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raychev
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duckwiler
authors.forename: Neil A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020785:Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D020765:Intracranial Arterial Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D020769:Posterior Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*