INTRODUCTION: Basilar artery occlusion causes 1% of all ischemic strokes. It presents with severe clinical features, mostly with alteration in the level of consciousness, motor abnormalities and cranial nerves disorders. Untreated basilar artery occlusion has a high mortality, up to 90%. Recanalization treatment includes the use of intravenous thrombolysis and/or endovascular mechanical thrombectomy. ----- AIM: To review literature data on the etiology, clinical specifics and results of conservative and endovascular treatment of basilar artery occlusion. Simultaneously, a retrospective analysis of patient recanalization treatment outcomes at University Hospital Centre Zagreb (Neurology clinic, Department of Intensive Care and Cerebrovascular Diseases) was made. ----- MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective data analysis of 57 patients with verified occlusion of the basilar artery in whom recanalization therapy was performed in the period from February 2016 to October 2019. We used the Hospital Information System, archived records from the Department of Intensive Care and Cerebrovascular Diseases and neuroimaging material of the Department of Neuroradiology at University Hospital Center Zagreb as data sources. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 25 software. ----- RESULTS: Mechanical thrombectomy was performed in 53 out of 57 (93%) patients included in our study and intravenous thrombolysis in 21 (36.8%) patients. Successful recanalization was achieved in 64.9% (n= 37) of patients. Good functional outcome (mRS 0-2) was achieved in 28.1% (n= 16) of patients and mortality was 52.6% (n= 30). Atrial fibrillation was shown to be the only statistically significant predictor of mortality in patients (p= 0.016), while initial NIHSS was the only statistically significant predictor of good functional outcome (p= 0.006). ----- CONCLUSION: The implementation of recanalization treatment reduces mortality from basilar artery occlusion. However, additional research is needed to clarify conflicting results in the literature regarding factors influencing outcome and mortality in these patients.