Long segment dolichoectasia of the right internal carotid artery diagnosed by CT angiography

Abstract

Dolichoectasia of the cerebral artery, a rare disorder of arterial dilatation, elongation, and tortuosity, most frequently involves the vertebrobasilar system in elderly patients with hypertension and is associated with the development of atherosclerosis in the aging process. Dolichoectasia also can be seen in the carotid system, but it is usually seen at the intracranial short segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA) or anterior cerebral artery. We present a case of dolichoectasia of the long segment of the right internal carotid artery that extended from the upper cervical to terminal segment of the vessel that was diagnosed by computed tomography angiography in a normotensive 66-year-old woman with transient ischemic attack.