Large Basilar Trunk Aneurysm Discovered Incidentally in a Patient with Ischaemic Stroke: Case Report

Summary: Many anomalies can be observed in the basilar trunk, such as aneurysms. Basilar trunk aneurysms are rare with a low reported prevalence. In this study, we describe a case of ischaemic stroke revealed by a basilar trunk aneurysm associated with venous thromboembolic disease. The patient was 60 years old and had no specific pathological history. She was seen for a sudden onset of right hemiplegia associated with dysarthria that had been present for 12 hours. The physical examination revealed a pyramidal syndrome and an altered general condition. An emergency cerebral computed tomography (CT) scan showed evidence of a cerebrovascular accident associated with a saccular aneurysm. We adopted the diagnosis of a deep left sylvian stroke associated with a superficial right sylvian stroke in the setting of an incidentally discovered basilar trunk aneurysm. On the 9ème day of hospitalisation, the patient experienced sudden onset of respiratory distress in conjunction with a warm, painful swelling of the right leg. TTE revealed signs of pulmonary embolism, with thrombi in the inferior vena cava and right atrium. Pulmonary embolism was highly probable, with a modified Geneva score of 15. We adopted the diagnosis of DVA complicated by pulmonary embolism in the setting of a basilar trunk aneurysm. The patient was transferred to the cardiology department, where she received oxygen therapy and thrombolysis with streptokinase. The immediate outcome 6 hours later was the sudden death of the patient due to the onset of cardiogenic shock.