Delayed diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion in a 28-year-old postpartum woman

Abstract Background Basilar artery strokes, which are often challenging to diagnose due to their diverse symptoms and uncommon occurrence, demand timely identification to mitigate severe consequences. Case presentation This case report discusses a 28-year-old woman who was admitted 7 months postpart...

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Main Authors: Alyssa Dwight, Daniela Fishbein, Jonathan Davidow, Robert N. Sawyer, Mohamed Tiouririne
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-12-01
Series:BMC Neurology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-024-03927-2
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author Alyssa Dwight
Daniela Fishbein
Jonathan Davidow
Robert N. Sawyer
Mohamed Tiouririne
author_facet Alyssa Dwight
Daniela Fishbein
Jonathan Davidow
Robert N. Sawyer
Mohamed Tiouririne
author_sort Alyssa Dwight
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Basilar artery strokes, which are often challenging to diagnose due to their diverse symptoms and uncommon occurrence, demand timely identification to mitigate severe consequences. Case presentation This case report discusses a 28-year-old woman who was admitted 7 months postpartum for suspected status epilepticus. Her initial presentation of convulsive activity and encephalopathy prompted an initial differential diagnosis including toxin-related seizures, encephalitis, and serotonin syndrome among others. A CT angiogram revealed nonocclusive basilar artery thrombosis and hypodensities in the basal ganglia and thalamus. MRI revealed additional strokes in the PCA and SCA territories. Conclusions The patient’s age and recent history of preeclampsia during pregnancy prompted pertinent discussions regarding pregnancy-related strokes. Most importantly, this case sheds light on the diverse presentations of basilar artery strokes and stresses the urgency of swift identification using imaging to avoid significant morbidity and mortality.
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spelling doaj-art-b2bc47089f4741a3bacfcfdad416365c2025-08-20T02:20:45ZengBMCBMC Neurology1471-23772024-12-012411810.1186/s12883-024-03927-2Delayed diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion in a 28-year-old postpartum womanAlyssa Dwight0Daniela Fishbein1Jonathan Davidow2Robert N. Sawyer3Mohamed Tiouririne4University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaAbstract Background Basilar artery strokes, which are often challenging to diagnose due to their diverse symptoms and uncommon occurrence, demand timely identification to mitigate severe consequences. Case presentation This case report discusses a 28-year-old woman who was admitted 7 months postpartum for suspected status epilepticus. Her initial presentation of convulsive activity and encephalopathy prompted an initial differential diagnosis including toxin-related seizures, encephalitis, and serotonin syndrome among others. A CT angiogram revealed nonocclusive basilar artery thrombosis and hypodensities in the basal ganglia and thalamus. MRI revealed additional strokes in the PCA and SCA territories. Conclusions The patient’s age and recent history of preeclampsia during pregnancy prompted pertinent discussions regarding pregnancy-related strokes. Most importantly, this case sheds light on the diverse presentations of basilar artery strokes and stresses the urgency of swift identification using imaging to avoid significant morbidity and mortality.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-024-03927-2Basilar artery strokeHyperdense basilar artery signStroke in the youngPregnancy-associated strokePreeclampsia
spellingShingle Alyssa Dwight
Daniela Fishbein
Jonathan Davidow
Robert N. Sawyer
Mohamed Tiouririne
Delayed diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion in a 28-year-old postpartum woman
BMC Neurology
Basilar artery stroke
Hyperdense basilar artery sign
Stroke in the young
Pregnancy-associated stroke
Preeclampsia
title Delayed diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion in a 28-year-old postpartum woman
title_full Delayed diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion in a 28-year-old postpartum woman
title_fullStr Delayed diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion in a 28-year-old postpartum woman
title_full_unstemmed Delayed diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion in a 28-year-old postpartum woman
title_short Delayed diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion in a 28-year-old postpartum woman
title_sort delayed diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion in a 28 year old postpartum woman
topic Basilar artery stroke
Hyperdense basilar artery sign
Stroke in the young
Pregnancy-associated stroke
Preeclampsia
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-024-03927-2
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