Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome without Headache

Abstract

A 49-year-old woman with a family history of Moyamoya disease presented with sudden onset of right hemiparesis without headache. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head revealed a cerebral infarct in the left corona radiata, and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) revealed severe stenosis of the bilateral internal carotid, middle, anterior, and posterior cerebral arteries. Antithrombotic therapy improved her symptoms. After 2 weeks, MRA revealed changes in cerebral arterial vasodilation, indicating reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS). Five months later, she presented with transient dysarthria without headache ; MRA revealed multiple cerebral artery stenosis, and 2 days later, it revealed changes in cerebral arterial vasodilation. RCVS presents with reversible multifocal narrowing of the cerebral arteries with thunderclap headache, commonly observed in middle-aged women. RCVS without headache is rare. RCVS should be a differential diagnosis in patients with multiple cerebral artery stenoses without headache, and serial MRI is important for its diagnosis. J. Med. Invest. 71 : 323-326, August, 2024