Giant Vertebral Artery Aneurysm in Behçet’s Disease: A Rare Case and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background: Behçet's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that can involve systemic organs and vascular structures. Arterial system involvement is rarer than the venous system, it is the major cause of death. Vertebral artery (VA) involvement is rare and there are a limited number of reported cases in the literature. In this report, we aimed to present the imaging findings of a case of Behçet's disease with a giant aneurysm originating from the right VA. Case report: A 35-year-old woman with a 10-year history of Behçet's disease applied to our center with complaints of pain on the right side of the neck. CT angiography showed a 7.5x6.5 cm sized saccular aneurysm in the superior of the right hemithorax adjacent to the mediastinum, with contrast filling the V1 segment of the VA. The VA aneurysm in our case had no relation with the subclavian artery and showed filling from the contralateral VA. The described findings were demonstrated in Doppler examination, phase-contrast MRI, conventional and CT angiography. Conclusion: Behçet's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that can involve the arterial system. Although VA involvement has not been reported frequently, all arterial structures may be affected by this vasculitic process.