Embolectomy in Patient with Basilar Artery Occlusion and Poor Neurological Exam

Hekmat Zarzour, Hekmat Zarzour, Joshua Weinberg, Michael McAree, Neal Joshi, Pascal Jabbour, Robert Rosenwasser
2019 Surgical Case Reports  
Acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is generally associated with a poor prognosis and mortality rates up to 85% in non-recanalized patients. Emergent recanalization is essential to improve outcomes in this patient subgroup. Objective: To show that good patient outcomes, modified Rankin score (mRS) 0-2, can be achieved in patients presenting with acute BAO and poor or no neurological exam. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the hospital course of a patient presenting with acute BAO and absent
more » ... brainstem reflexes who underwent emergent revascularization. Results: The patient was discharge with cranial nerve III palsy but was otherwise neurologically intact. Conclusions: Patients presenting with acute BAO and poor or no neurological exam should be considered for emergent endovascular intervention. Despite the high risk of morbidity and mortality, this subgroup of patients can still have good functional outcomes.
doi:10.31487/j.scr.2019.06.07 fatcat:2jh5sbid3zgdpf6dsmdps3qk64