Thrombosis of the basilar trunk in a young woman previously treated by radiotherapy for malignant lymphoma

We report the case of a 23-year-old-woman, who had received mediastinal radiotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Five years later, she presented a basal artery thrombosis. Arteriography showed an ectopic origin of the left vertebral artery on the aortic arch located within the irradiation field. This artery was irregular and narrowed up to 15 cm from its origin. All other cerebral arteries were normal. We reviewed the literature of other observations describing radiation-induced cervical arteritis.