Rescue Endovascular Treatment to Prevent Neurological Deterioration in Acute Symptomatic Bilateral Vertebral Artery Occlusion

Bilateral vertebral artery occlusive disease has been considered as a favorable condition with good collaterals. However, the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke secondary to symptomatic bilateral vertebral artery occlusion (BVAO) and endovascular treatment (EVT) has rarely been reported. We retrospectively selected patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted for symptomatic BVAO between January 2020 and February 2023. All patients with ischemic stroke were evaluated for ischemic lesion and arterial status using brain imaging and angiography. The prognosis of acute stroke with symptomatic BVAO was compared between EVT and conventional treatment. Outcomes were evaluated using modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3 months follow-up. Within the study period, 17 of 2,655 acute ischemic stroke patients were diagnosed with ischemic stroke with symptomatic BVAO. The median age of these patients was 70 (interquartile range 44–89) years, and 13 (76%) were male. Seven patients received emergent EVT with stenting and 10 patients received conventional medical treatment only. Nine of 10 patients with conventional treatment had in-hospital stroke progression and developed new ischemic lesions in the pons and midbrain. Five patients with fetal and hypoplastic posterior communicating artery presented bilateral cerebral peduncular lesions. At 3 months follow-up, 6 patients (35%) had favorable outcomes (mRS 0–2), of which 5 were treated with vertebral artery stenting and 1 received conventional treatment. Ischemic stroke in patients with acute symptomatic BVAO is uncommon. However, stroke progression is common, and the prognosis of most patients is poor. Rescue management such as EVT might be considered for symptomatic BVAO.