BASILAR ARTERY ENLARGEMENT IN AN ELDERLY FEMALE CADAVER

An asymptomatic enlarged basilar artery was identified during an educational dissection of a 76-year-old female cadaver. The basilar artery had a uniform arterial wall without evidence of atherosclerotic plaque, intraluminal thrombus, or focal aneurysmal outpouching. The pons and cerebellum showed no signs of infarction or ischemia. The cause of death, malignant neoplasm of the lung, was unrelated to the vascular finding. The current case highlights that vascular pathology can occur without subsequent symptoms. Early identification, coupled with management of particularly modifiable risk factors, including hypertension, lipid disorders, and smoking, may decrease the risks of the pathology progressing into strokes.