Acute Basilar Artery Tip Thrombosis Presenting as Basilar-Subclavian Steal Phenomenon on Transcranial Doppler

Abstract

Acute basilar artery (BA) occlusion is a key etiology of devastating posterior circulation stroke, unless recanalization is performed early. Recanalization therapy is determined synthetically based on symptom onset time, stroke severity, and brain imaging. Herein, we report the case of a 72-year-old male patient presenting with minor neurological symptoms, but with thrombotic occlusion at the BA tip. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) showed systolic flow reversal along the vertebrobasilar arteries, and the patient benefited from endovascular thrombectomy. This case highlights the critical role of TCD in identifying hemodynamic insufficiency and determining the implementation of endovascular interventions to mitigate stroke progression.