Basilar artery occlusion due to spontaneous basilar artery dissection in achild

Basilar artery occlusion (BAO) causing brainstem infarction occurred in a 7 -year-old boy without any basic disorders. A diagnosis of BAO due to basila r artery dissection (BAD) was suspected at angiography, and this was confir med by gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These investig ations clearly showed all the typical diagnostic signs such as a pseudolume n, double lumen and intimal flap, and a pseudolumen in resolution. The spon taneous healing of the dissection was clearly demonstrated during 10 months of follow-up. We stress that BAD can occur in young children and that comb ined diagnosis with gadolinium-enhanced MRI and angiography is conclusive f or diagnosis of dissecting aneurysms. Wider use of these combined diagnosti c methods will allow the detection of less severe basilar artery dissection , thus extending the spectrum of presentation and prognosis.