Is mechanical deformation of the suboccipital vertebral artery during cervical spine rotation responsible for vertebrobasilar insufficiency?

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Vertebral Artery ◽  
Mechanical Deformation ◽  
Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency

scholarly journals Bow hunter syndrome in rheumatoid arthritis: illustrative case

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian P. Curry ◽  
Vijay M. Ravindra ◽  
Jason H. Boulter ◽  
Chris J. Neal ◽  
Daniel S. Ikeda
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Vertebral Artery ◽  
Hunter Syndrome ◽  
Left Vertebral Artery ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ◽  
Vascular Insufficiency ◽  
Vertebral Artery Compression ◽  
Spine Disease

BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) frequently features degeneration and instability of the cervical spine. Rarely, this degeneration manifests as symptoms of bow hunter syndrome (BHS), a dynamic cause of vertebrobasilar insufficiency. OBSERVATIONS The authors reviewed the literature for cases of RA associated with BHS and present a case of a man with erosive RA with intermittent syncopal episodes attributable to BHS as a result of severe extrinsic left atlantooccipital vertebral artery compression from RA-associated cranial settling. A 72-year-old man with RA-associated cervical spine disease who experienced gradual, progressive functional decline was referred to a neurosurgery clinic for evaluation. He also experienced intermittent syncopal events and vertiginous symptoms with position changes and head turning. Vascular imaging demonstrated severe left vertebral artery compression between the posterior arch of C1 and the occiput as a result of RA-associated cranial settling. He underwent left C1 hemilaminectomy and C1–4 posterior cervical fusion with subsequent resolution of his syncope and vertiginous symptoms. LESSONS This is an unusual case of BHS caused by cranial settling as a result of RA. RA-associated cervical spine disease may rarely present as symptoms of vascular insufficiency. Clinicians should consider the possibility, though rare, of cervical spine involvement in patients with RA experiencing symptoms consistent with vertebral basilar insufficiency.

scholarly journals Fusion for subaxial bow hunter’s syndrome results in remote osseous remodeling of the hyperostotic growth responsible for vertebral artery compression

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Daniel Satoshi Ikeda ◽  
Charles A. Miller ◽  
Vijay M. Ravindra
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Vertebral Artery ◽  
Complete Resolution ◽  
Dynamic Compression ◽  
Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ◽  
The Right ◽  
Vertebral Artery Compression ◽  
Hunter's Syndrome

Background: The authors present a previously unreported case of a patient with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) who developed bow hunter’s syndrome (BHS) or positional vertebrobasilar insufficiency. In addition, the authors demonstrate angiographic evidence of remote osseous remodeling after segmental fusion without direct decompression of the offending bony growth. BHS is a rare, yet well established, cause of posterior circulation ischemia and ischemic stroke. Several etiologies such as segmental instability and spondylosis have been described as causes, however, DISH has not been associated with BHS before this publication. Case Description: A 77-year-old man who presented with BHS was found to have cervical spine changes consistent with DISH, and angiography confirmed right vertebral artery (VA) stenosis at C4–5 from a large pathological elongation of the right C5 lateral mass. Head rotation resulted in occlusion of the VA. The patient underwent an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and reported complete resolution of his symptoms. A delayed angiogram and CT of the cervical spine demonstrated complete resolution of the baseline stenosis, no dynamic compression, and remote osseous remodeling of the growth, respectively. Conclusion: This case represents the first publication in the literature of DISH as a causative etiology of BHS and of angiographic data demonstrating resolution of a compressive osseous pathology without direct decompression in BHS.

Is cervical spine rotation, as used in the standard vertebrobasilar insufficiency test, associated with a measureable change in intracranial vertebral artery blood flow?

2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 220-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette Mitchell ◽  
David Keene ◽  
Craig Dyson ◽  
Lyndsay Harvey ◽  
Christopher Pruvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Vertebral Artery ◽  
Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ◽  
Artery Blood Flow

Intracranial Vertebral Endarterectomy

Neurosurgery ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
James I. Ausman ◽  
Fernando G. Diaz ◽  
Balaji Sadasivan ◽  
Manuel Dujovny
Keyword(s):  
Vertebral Artery ◽  
Medical Therapy ◽  
Superficial Temporal Artery ◽  
Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery ◽  
Temporal Artery ◽  
Superior Cerebellar Artery ◽  
Focal Lesion ◽  
Cerebellar Infarction ◽  
Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ◽  
Cerebellar Artery

Abstract Intracranial vertebral endarterectomy was performed on six patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency in whom medical therapy failed. The patients underwent operations for stenotic plaque in the intracranial vertebral artery with the opposite vertebral artery being occluded, hypoplastic, or severely stenosed. In four of the patients, the stenosis was mainly proximal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). In this group, after endarterectomy, the vertebral artery was patent in two patients, and their symptoms resolved: in one patient the endarterectomy occluded, but the patient's symptoms improved; and in one patient the endarterectomy was unsuccessful, and he continued to have symptoms. In one patient, the plaque was at the origin of the PICA. The operation appeared technically to be successful, but the patient developed a cerebellar infarction and died. In one patient the stenosis was distal to the PICA. During endarterectomy, the plaque was found to invade the posterior wall of the vertebral artery. The vertebral artery was ligated, and the patient developed a Wallenburg syndrome. The results of superficial temporal artery to superior cerebellar artery anastomosis are better than those for intracranial vertebral endarterectomy for patients with symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery stenosis. The use of intracranial vertebral endarterectomy should be limited to patients who have disabling symptoms despite medical therapy, a focal lesion proximal to the PICA, and a patent posterior circulation collateral or bypass.

scholarly journals Vertebral artery occlusion associated with blunt traumatic cervical spine injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Youhei Nakamura ◽  
Kenji Kusakabe ◽  
Shota Nakao ◽  
Yasushi Hagihara ◽  
Tetsuya Matsuoka
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Vertebral Artery ◽  
Cervical Spine Injury ◽  
Artery Occlusion ◽  
Spine Injury ◽  
Vertebral Artery Occlusion

Atlanto-Occipital Decompression of Vertebral Artery for a Variant of Bow Hunter's Syndrome: 2-Dimensional Operative Video

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nickalus R Khan ◽  
Turki Elarjani ◽  
Stephanie H Chen ◽  
Laszlo Miskolczi ◽  
Sheryl Strasser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vertebral Artery ◽  
Rare Condition ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Spinal Instability ◽  
Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ◽  
Common Etiology ◽  
Neurologically Intact ◽  
Hunter's Syndrome ◽  
Visual Abnormalities

Abstract Rotational vertebral artery (VA) occlusion syndrome, also known as bow hunter's syndrome, is an uncommon variant of vertebrobasilar insufficiency typically occurring with head rotation.1-3 The most common presenting symptom is dizziness (76.8%), followed by visual abnormalities and syncope (50.4% and 40.4%, respectively).2 Osteophytic compression due to spinal spondylosis has been shown to be the most common etiology (46.2%), with other factors, such as a fibrous band, muscular compression, or spinal instability, being documented.1,2 Treatment is dependent on the level and site of VA compression with anterior, anterolateral, or posterior approaches being described.1,4 We present the case of a 72-yr-old male with osteophytic compression of the V3 segment of the vertebral artery at the occipital-cervical junction. The patient underwent a C1 hemilaminectomy and removal of osteophytic compression from the occipital-cervical joint. The patient had complete resolution of compression of his vertebral artery on postoperative imaging and remained neurologically intact following the procedure. We review the literature on this topic, the technical nuances of the procedure performed, and review the different treatment modalities available for this rare condition.1-11  The patient consented to the procedure and to publication of their image.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document