Basilar Artery Syndrome

[ClydeH__0]

  My 73 year-old father was diagonsed with "basilar artery syndrome" and I can find nothing specific on the internet about this subject. Any info would be useful.
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Dear ClydeH:
For an individual aged 73 years, "basilar artery syndrome" would be understood as being a cerebrovascular disorder of the basilar artery. The basilar artery is a single major artery in the front of the brainstem which supplies several vital structures in the brain (pons, midbrain, upper cerebellar hemispheres, and thalami). Some of these structures are vital for survival. Various types of stroke can occur because of a compromise of blood flow through the basilar artery. The basilar artery itself may be narrowed in its proximal, middle, or distal part, or it may be transiently occluded from a blood clot from the heart, or else there may be a narrowing of one of the many branches of the basilar artery. Some representative severe stroke syndrome from basilar artery involvement include the locked in syndrome and the top-of-the-basilar syndrome. Lesser syndrome can also occur, and include various combinations of neurological signs/symptoms which may be fixed or intermittent (TIAs).
Basilar artery disease is a serious problem and commonly warrants the use of anticoagulation in the short or long term.
A good source to read about the basilar artery may be a stroke textbook (Barnett et al., or Caplan) which you may find in a medical school library, or in a major public library.
In connection to Marc's posting, I think it is most unlikely that your father has basilar artery migraine.