Acute ischemic stroke within the area of MCA from ICA thrombosis complicating moderate COVID-19 infection

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus type 2 (SARS-Cov-2), injures multiple organs including the central and peripheral nervous system. We report the case of a 68-year-old patient diagnosed with COVID-19 infection in its moderate form who, 1 week after the onset of respiratory symptoms, developed a large acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the area of the left middle cerebral artery (LMCA). The case shows that large artery stroke can occur even in moderate forms of COVID-19, and stresses the need for correct coagulation management. The source of cerebral stroke should also be sought by cervical computed tomography angiography (CTA) from the level of the aortic arch, and not only covering the cerebral vessels as thrombo-embolic events may appear already in large cervical vessels, even in mild forms of the disease.