Anterior Cerebral Artery Dissection in a Patient With Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Abstract

Intracranial artery dissection secondary to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is far less common than cerebral aneurysm. A 55-year-old man presented a sudden onset of headache and disturbed consciousness caused by ischemic stroke in the bilateral frontal lobes with minor subarachnoid hemorrhage. The bilateral anterior cerebral arteries were firstly occluded and re-perfused with irregular narrowing and dilation in 3 days after stroke onset, indicating dissection. He was diagnosed with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease by abdominal CT findings and by his family history though his renal function was almost normal. Dissection in the anterior cerebral artery has not been reported previously, while some cases with dissection in the vertebral and extracranial arteries were reported in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. His family also had a history of aortic dissection and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Intracranial artery dissection may be a manifestation of systemic arteriopathy with familial clustering in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Strict antihypertensive treatment is needed in these cases.

Keywords: Anterior cerebral artery; Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease; Cerebral artery dissection; Intracranial artery.