Basilar artery thrombosis in a COVID-19 patient with anticardiolipin anti - bodies

Background— Thrombosis and thromboembolism has been linked to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and
acute ischemic stroke has been reported in several patients.
Case Description— A patient with recent COVID-19 occurred 13 days prior to admission, presented with acute
ischemic stroke with an initial National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) score of 36. Computerized to
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mography angiogram demonstrated occlusion of the basilar artery with mismatch on the cerebral perfusion analysis.
He was successfully treated with aspiration thrombectomy and NIHSS score improved to 1 on the second day post
procedure. He made a full recovery and has returned to his normal activities (modified Rankin Scale 0 at discharge).
Serological studies showed elevated IgM and IgG anticardiolipin antibodies that remained elevated 7 weeks after the
initial infection.
Conclusions— Basilar artery thrombosis can be associated with COVID-19 and may be mediated through elevated
anticardiolipin antibodies.