Spontaneous healing and complete disappearance of an intracranial vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm: A case report

Intracranial vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms (VBDAs) are associated with a greater tendency to rupture and a greater risk of worse outcomes than anterior circulation aneurysms. Spontaneous healing of a VBDA is very rare, and there have been very few case reports of spontaneous healing of an aneurysm. We describe a case of intracranial vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm that healed spontaneously and disappeared completely on follow-up images. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 40-years-old woman was referred to the neurology department because of a persistent headache, especially in the left occiput. DIAGNOSES: Magnetic resonance angiography and computed tomography angiography showed a left vertebral artery dissection-like aneurysm (4.5 × 2.0 × 2.5 mm in size) with proximal parent artery mild stenosis (40%). INTERVENTIONS: Flunarizine hydrochloride was administered for symptomatic treatment and follow-up angiography was performed. OUTCOMES: Digital subtraction angiography and magnetic resonance angiography showed that the aneurysm had completely disappeared at 3 months follow-up. High-resolution magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging revealed intimal thickening and mild stenosis in the left intracranial vertebral artery without an aneurysm signal. In addition, enhancement scanning revealed that the aneurysm area was moderately enhanced. MR-vessel wall imaging at 7 months follow-up showed that the enhancement was slightly reduced compared with the previous time. LESSONS: This case illustrates the relatively plastic nature of a vertebral dissecting aneurysm, indicating that spontaneous healing remains possible.