Posttraumatic bilateral vertebral artery occlusion

1981 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 814-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric G. Six ◽  
W. Lynn Stringer ◽  
A. Ron Cowley ◽  
Courtland H. Davis

✓ A case of bilateral vertebral artery occlusion following trauma in a 25-year-old woman is presented. The patient had minimal subluxation of C-2 on C-3 without neurological deficit. Her neck was immobilized for 16 days, and then a posterior fixation of C-1 through C-4 was performed with Kirschner wires and methyl methacrylate. Occlusion of the vertebral arteries has persisted, but collateral vessels are adequate and the patient has remained neurologically normal.

1982 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Mapstone ◽  
Robert F. Spetzler

✓ A case is described in which vertebral artery occlusion, caused by a fibrous band, occurred whenever the patient turned his head to the right side, resulting in vertigo and syncope whenever the head was turned to the right. Release of a fibrous band crossing the vertebral artery 2 cm from its origin relieved the patient's vertebral artery constriction and symptoms.


1975 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles G. Drake

✓ The author reports the use of vertebral artery ligation, unilateral and bilateral, for the treatment of large vertebral-basilar aneurysms in 14 patients with one delayed death. Extracranial ligation was carried out unilaterally with a Selverstone clamp in three patients. In two, where the aneurysm filled only from one vertebral artery, there was extensive thrombosis within the sac and dramatic clinical improvement after decompression. Extracranial ligation was done bilaterally in three patients, temporarily in two. A 14-year-old boy is well after 5 years but the bilateral vertebrobasilar aneurysm did not undergo extensive thrombosis until both vertebral arteries were occluded at their intracranial entrance above collateral flow. In two others, the clamp had to be reopened on the second artery. In one patient, death from delayed thrombosis of a huge aneurysm and pontine infarction might have been prevented with anticoagulants. In the other, the aneurysm ruptured again fatally 18 months later. Unilateral intracranial occlusion of a vertebral artery was done in eight cases, with no morbidity and complete or nearly complete thrombosis in all but one aneurysm. Seven patients had excellent or good results while one showed little recovery from an existing medullary syndrome. Occlusion of the basilar artery was done in seven cases. In five it was used deliberately as the only treatment, but in two it was forced when an aneurysm burst during dissection. Only two of the patients in the first group and one of the second group have made complete recoveries. The results of vertebral artery occlusion are encouraging and the technique deserves further consideration. Extensive collateral circulation enhances the safety of cervical vertebral artery occlusion but can be of a degree to make the occlusion ineffective. For intracranial occlusion knowledge of the size and distribution of each vertebral artery is essential. Occlusion of the basilar artery is dangerous, although it seems to be effective in producing extensive thrombosis in the aneurysm. It should probably be done under anesthesia only when the artery fills spontaneously from the carotid circulation. Otherwise, even when reasonable posterior communicating arteries are demonstrated, it is best to test occlusion under local anesthesia.


1993 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary K. Steinberg ◽  
Charles G. Drake ◽  
Sydney J. Peerless

✓ Deliberate occlusion of the basilar or vertebral arteries was performed in 201 patients with intracranial aneurysms, where the aneurysmal neck could not be clipped directly. The aneurysms arose from the basilar apex in 83 cases, the basilar trunk in 46, the vertebrobasilar junction in 35, and the vertebral artery in 37; 87% of the aneurysms were classified as giant lesions (> 2.5 cm). There were 85 upper basilar occlusions, 41 lower basilar occlusions, 29 bilateral vertebral occlusions, and 48 unilateral vertebral artery occlusions. The clinical follow-up period varied from 1 to 23 years, with a mean of 9.5 years. Overall long-term results were excellent in 68% of the patients, good in 5%, and poor in 3%; 24% died. Clinical outcome varied according to aneurysm site; excellent or good results were achieved in 64% of the patients with basilar apex, 76% with basilar trunk, 74% with vertebrobasilar junction, and 87% with vertebral artery aneurysms. Clinical outcome also varied depending on preoperative grade: 86% of the patients with an excellent presenting grade achieved excellent results. The size of the posterior communicating arteries was a good predictor of tolerance to basilar artery occlusion (p < 0.05). Successful aneurysm thrombosis was achieved in 78% of the patients. The neurological status in 26 patients (13%) deteriorated due to vertebrobasilar ischemia occurring within the 1st postoperative week, and thrombosis or embolism was implicated much more frequently than hemodynamic insufficiency. Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in 14 patients, vasospasm in five patients, and surgical trauma in seven patients accounted for additional morbidity in the 1st month following operation; however, many of these patients ultimately made an excellent recovery. Late vertebrobasilar ischemic complications or neurological deterioration from persistent mass effect occurred in 4% of patients with successful aneurysm thrombosis 6 weeks to 18 months after arterial ligation. Among the 43 patients with incompletely thrombosed aneurysms, 67% developed early or late neurological deterioration from SAH, progressive brain-stem compression, or brain-stem stroke, with 86% of the complications proving fatal.


1991 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armand Aymard ◽  
Y. Pierre Gobin ◽  
Jonathan E. Hodes ◽  
Siegfried Bien ◽  
Daniel Rüfenacht ◽  
...  

✓ Twenty-one patients with aneurysms of the vertebrobasilar circulation underwent unilateral or bilateral endovascular occlusion of the vertebral artery. Six patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), 10 with mass effect, four with mass effect and SAH, and one with ischemic symptoms. Thirteen patients had good outcomes with complete clinical and angiographic cure. Six patients had partial thrombosis of their aneurysms. There was one death and one treatment failure. One patient suffered transient stroke. It is concluded that endovascular occlusion of the vertebral artery following test occlusion is a safe and effective treatment for proximal aneurysms of the vertebrobasilar circulation.


1996 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Morimoto ◽  
Takanobu Kaido ◽  
Yoshitomo Uchiyama ◽  
Hidemori Tokunaga ◽  
Toshisuke Sakaki ◽  
...  

✓ A 70-year-old man presented with repeated vertebrobasilar insufficiency for 3 years. Four-vessel angiography revealed complete occlusion of the nondominant left vertebral artery on head turning to the right. Three-dimensional computerized tomography angiography demonstrated atlantoaxial joint dislocation when the head was turned to the right, in accordance with simultaneous occlusion of the left vertebral artery caused by stretching of the artery at C1–2. After posterior fixation of C1–2 by a Halifax interlaminar fixation system, the patient had no further episodes. Hemodynamic function associated with nondominant vertebral artery occlusion contributed to the symptoms in this case.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (6) ◽  
pp. 1456-1459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teiji Tominaga ◽  
Toshiyuki Takahashi ◽  
Hiroaki Shimizu ◽  
Takashi Yoshimoto

✓ Vertebral artery (VA) occlusion by rotation of the head is uncommon, but can result from mechanical compression of the artery, trauma, or atlantoaxial instability. Occipital bone anomalies rarely cause rotational VA occlusion, and patients with nontraumatic intermittent occlusion of the VA usually present with compromised vertebrobasilar flow. A 34-year-old man suffered three embolic strokes in the vertebrobasilar system within 2 months. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated multiple infarcts in the vertebrobasilar territory. Angiography performed immediately after the third attack displayed an embolus in the right posterior cerebral artery. Radiographic and three-dimensional computerized tomography bone images exhibited an anomalous osseous process of the occipital bone projecting to the posterior arch of the atlas. Dynamic angiography indicated complete occlusion of the left VA between the osseous process and the posterior arch while the patient's head was turned to the right. Surgical decompression of the VA resulted in complete resolution of rotational occlusion of the artery. An occipital bone anomaly can cause rotational VA occlusion at the craniovertebral junction in patients who present with repeated embolic strokes resulting from injury to the arterial wall.


1975 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 618-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Humbert G. Sullivan ◽  
John W. Harbison ◽  
Frederick S. Vines ◽  
Donald Becker

✓ The authors report a case of isolated homonymous hemianopsia secondary to embolic occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery. The cause of embolism was demonstrated to be spondylitic vertebral artery compression. The importance of arteriography is emphasized since the clinical syndrome may be nonspecific and myelographic or plain x-ray changes may be minimal. Surgical therapy is also discussed.


1998 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Demetrius K. Lopes ◽  
Robert A. Mericle ◽  
Ajay K. Wakhloo ◽  
Lee R. Guterman ◽  
L. Nelson Hopkins

✓ The authors report the occurrence of ipsilateral transient cavernous sinus syndrome during balloon test occlusion (BTO) of the cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) and discuss the involved pathomechanisms. The authors reviewed their series of 129 BTOs of the ICA performed between 1989 and 1996. Two patients developed facial paresthesias and transient palsies of the third through sixth cranial nerves during test occlusion of the cervical ICA. The tests were performed prior to planned permanent carotid artery occlusion for the treatment of a neck sarcoma in one patient and a giant cavernous carotid artery aneurysm in the other. The patients' symptoms resolved with deflation of the balloon. When the balloon was subsequently inflated above the inferior cavernous sinus artery (ICSA), one of the patients complained of mild facial discomfort. There was no contralateral weakness or mental status change during test occlusion in either patient. Angiography demonstrated good filling of the ipsilateral intracranial circulation via collateral vessels of the circle of Willis. In these two cases, the cranial nerves in the cavernous sinus were likely supplied by the ICA via the meningohypophyseal trunk and the ICSA. In each case, there was excellent blood supply to the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere; however, there was probably inadequate retrograde filling of the cranial nerve collateral vessels located where the meningohypophyseal trunk and ICSA originated. These cases emphasize the importance of a patent external carotid artery—ICA connection for successful cervical carotid artery occlusion. Neurological examination during BTO was critical to interpret the clinical manifestations caused by the hemodynamic changes.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. E779-E781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Starke ◽  
Mark Chwajol ◽  
Daniel Lefton ◽  
Chandranath Sen ◽  
Alejandro Berenstein ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVE Patients with partial or complete bilateral vertebral artery occlusion often present with signs and symptoms of transient ischemic attacks or infarction. Advances in phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging have led to noninvasive assessment of volumetric blood flow rates and direction that help in the workup and management of these patients. CLINICAL PRESENTATION We present the case of a patient with symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency without previous transient ischemic attacks or stroke. Quantitative magnetic resonance angiography (QMRA) demonstrated bilateral vertebral artery occlusion with reversal of flow in the basilar and vertebral arteries to the level of the posterior inferior cerebellar arteries bilaterally. A prominent right posterior communicating artery filled the basilar artery and proximal vertebral arteries. INTERVENTION The presence of reversal and diminished flow in the basilar and vertebral arteries suggested that occipital artery-to-posterior inferior cerebellar artery bypass would improve posterior circulation, relieve symptoms, and reduce the risk of infarction. Postoperative QMRA and angiography confirmed revascularization, and QMRA confirmed correction of blood flow direction. CONCLUSION This case illustrates the potential of QMRA as part of a comprehensive cerebrovascular assessment, operative planning, and follow-up of patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency.


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