Vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm treated by internal trapping via the contralateral vertebral artery: A case report.

A 42-year-old man with a history of sudden onset of severe headache followed by consciousness disturbance was brought to our hospital. Radiological examinations revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage, associated with rupture of a left vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm. Initially, internal trapping was attempted via the ipsilateral vertebral artery. However, the microcatheter could not be navigated through the true lumen to the distal side of the vertebral artery. Subsequently, therefore, the guiding catheter was placed in the right vertebral artery, and the microcatheter was retrogradely navigated successfully through the lesion to the proximal side of the left vertebral artery. Finally, the lesion was completely embolized with electrodetachable coils without complications. However, the patient died after the operation because of deterioration of the general condition. The postmortem examination revealed how an intimal flap had interfered with the antegrade navigation of the microcatheter in the lesion. The present case showed that endovascular treatment for a vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm via the contralateral vertebral artery may be a useful option in cases where antegrade navigation of the microcatheter via the ipsilateral vertebral artery is found to be difficult.