Acute Ischemic Stroke Due to Basilar Artery Occlusion with Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Case Report

Abstract

Although it is increasingly recognized that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause multi-organ disease, including acute ischemic stroke, the incidence of coagulation disorder is reported to be lower in Asian countries. We report a case of a 47-year-old Asian man with mild COVID-19 respiratory symptoms who had acute basilar artery occlusion. Despite successful recanalization with mechanical thrombectomy, the patient developed extensive cerebral infarction in the posterior circulation, necessitating decompressive craniotomy. Our findings suggest that severe large vessel occlusion (LVO) can occur even in young Asian patients with mild COVID-19 respiratory symptoms and that its outcome can be extremely severe despite successful recanalization. The management of COVID-19-related LVO can be very challenging, as both the prevention of possible nosocomial infection and early recanalization are required simultaneously.