Unilateral Thalamic Infarction Associated With Rupture of Dissecting Posterior Cerebral Artery in Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report

This case report describes a 16-year-old boy with newly diagnosed childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who experienced a rare complication of posterior cerebral artery (PCA) dissection. Initially presenting with thalamic infarction, the patient later developed subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Despite the severity, the patient fully recovered following high-dose steroid, low-dose aspirin, mannitol therapy, and successful coil embolization of the ruptured PCA pseudoaneurysm. This case highlights the importance of considering cerebral arterial dissection and pseudoaneurysm in SLE patients with cerebral infarction and hemorrhage to achieve favorable outcomes.