Risky Cerebrovascular Anatomic Orientation: Implications for Brain Revascularization

Abstract

This study documents a risky vascular anatomic orientation that might play an important role in the postoperative hemodynamics following anterior cerebral artery (ACA) revascularization. A 71-year-old woman presented with uncontrollable frequent right lower limb transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) attributed to a left cerebral ischemic lesion due to severe left ACA stenosis. She underwent successful left-sided superficial temporal artery-ACA bypass using interposed vascular graft. The patient awoke satisfactory from anesthesia; however, on postoperative day 1, she developed right-sided hemiparesis. Extensive postoperative investigations disclosed that watershed shift infarction was considered the etiology for this neurologic deterioration.

Keywords: Anterior cerebral artery; Cerebral ischemia; Cerebral watershed infarction; Extracranial (EC)-Intracranial (IC) bypass; Revascularization; STA-ACA bypass graft.