DIAGNOSIS OF GIANT FUSIFORM BASILAR ANEURYSM BY COLOR-CODED TRANSCRANIAL DUPLEX SONOGRAPHY

Fusiform aneurysms of the vertebrobasilar circulation cannot be treate d surgically, therefore a noninvasive method for follow-up examination is necessary. We describe a 66-year-old Chinese man with atactic hemi paresis, gait disturbance and dysarthria. Color-coded transcranial dup lex sonography (TDS) revealed a fusiform dilatation of the middle segm ent of the basilar artery, which was confirmed by angiography. MRI rev ealed a compression of the pens by the aneurysm. TDS may be of value i n the diagnosis and follow-up of dolichoectatic vertebrobasilar arteri es, because this method is less expensive and time-consuming than MRI.