Basilar artery stroke in Crohn’s disease treated with endovascular thromboembolectomy

Abstract

We describe a girl in middle childhood with newly diagnosed Crohn’s disease, who presented with seizures and altered mental status. MRI showed an abnormal vascular signal at the basilar artery, but no evidence of acute ischaemia. Her weakness worsened over the next 8 hours to dense quadriplegia. CT angiography of the brain, approximately 24 hours after the initial onset of symptoms, identified an acute basilar artery occlusion with infarction. She received endovascular thromboembolectomy emergently. She showed significant improvement over 8-month period from quadriplegia to walking unassisted. This case highlights the importance of recognising stroke in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and the need for emergent radiological assessment and potential intervention.