Pseudoaneurysm of the extracranial vertebral artery

1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 935-939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Detwiler ◽  
John C. Godersky ◽  
Lindell Gentry

✓ The unusual association of a giant extracranial vertebral artery pseudoaneurysm, intracranial aneurysms, and extracranial carotid occlusion in a woman with neurofibromatosis is presented. Pain as a result of expansion of the mass in the soft tissue of the neck led to her seeking evaluation. Herniation of the mass intraspinally between the occiput and C-1 resulted in myelopathy. Following balloon occlusion of the vertebral artery, the mass and associated symptoms resolved without the need for direct resection. The salient features of these unusually associated problems are discussed.

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.


1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neill M. Wright ◽  
Carl Lauryssen

Object. The 847 active members of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (AANS/CNS) Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves were surveyed to quantitate the risk of vertebral artery (VA) injury during C1–2 transarticular screw placement. Methods. This retrospective study elicited the number of patients treated with transarticular screws, the number of screws placed, the incidence of VA injury and subsequent neurological deficit, and the management of known or suspected VA injury. Two hundred thirteen (25.1%) of the 847 surgeons responded. One hundred one respondents (47.4%) had placed a total of 2492 C1–2 transarticular screws in 1318 patients. Thirty-one patients (2.4%) had known VA injuries and an additional 23 patients (1.7%) were suspected of having injuries. However, only two (3.7%) of the 54 patients with known or suspected VA injuries exhibited subsequent neurological deficits and only one (1.9%) died of bilateral VA injury. Other iatrogenic complications included dural tears, screw fractures, screw breakout, fusion failure, infection, and suboccipital numbness. Conclusions. Including both known and suspected cases, the risk of VA injury was 4.1% per patient or 2.2% per screw inserted. The risk of neurological deficit from VA injury was 0.2% per patient or 0.1% per screw, and the mortality rate was 0.1%. The choice of management of intraoperative VA injuries was evenly divided between placing the patient under observation and initiating immediate postoperative angiography with possible balloon occlusion.


1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 940-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Rosenblum ◽  
Stephanie Rifkinson-Mann ◽  
Michael Sacher ◽  
Rosemaria Gennuso ◽  
Allen Rothman

✓ A case of atraumatic arteriovenous (AV) fistula of the extracranial vertebral artery associated with an atraumatic aneurysm of the contralateral extracranial vertebral artery is reported. The fistulous lesion was excised after distal and proximal ligation of the vessel. Subsequently, the contralateral aneurysm underwent spontaneous dissolution. Seven cases of extracranial vertebral AV fistulae associated with ipsilateral vertebral artery aneurysms (four traumatic and three as part of vascular dysplastic syndromes) have been reported previously.


1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Fine ◽  
Alberto Cardoso ◽  
Albert L. Rhoton

Object. The authors describe the microsurgical anatomy of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) with an extradural origin and discuss its importance as a common variation.Methods. The microsurgical anatomy of paired PICAs with an extradural origin were examined.Conclusions. Five to 20% of PICAs have an extradural origin. In the case described, both PICAs arose extradurally from the third segment of the vertebral artery (VA). Both origins were less than 1 cm proximal to the site at which the VA penetrated the dura, and neither PICA gave rise to extradural branches. Extradurally, the PICAs coursed parallel to the VA and the C-1 nerve and the three structures penetrated the dura together. Intradurally, the PICAs remained lateral and posterior to the brainstem, whereas, in the common PICA configuration, the first segment of the PICA courses anterior to the medulla. Neither PICA sent branches to the anterior brainstem, which is commonly found in PICAs with an intradural origin. There were no soft-tissue or bone anomalies.


1990 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 962-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Peter Piotrowski ◽  
Peter Pilz ◽  
I-Hsing Chuang

✓ Intracranial aneurysms are an uncommon manifestation of fungal infection. A case is described in which the formation of an aneurysm followed an intracranial intraoperative Aspergillus infection attributable to a long period of preoperative antibiotic medication and immunosuppressive therapy with steroids.


1985 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard J. Senter ◽  
Sami M. Bittar ◽  
Edwin T. Long

✓ Hemodynamic insufficiency resulting from extracranial vertebral artery stenosis or occlusion is believed to be the major cause of vertebrobasilar transient ischemic attacks. The major difficulties in treating this disorder have been exposure of the vertebral artery distal to the stenosis and the risk of vertebral artery cross-clamping for vein grafting or carotid artery transposition. The authors describe a new technique for vertebral artery reconstruction at any level by the use of an intraluminal shunt, thus avoiding the necessity to cross-clamp the artery. This procedure was successfully performed at all three levels of the extracranial vertebral artery: C7-4, C3-1, and C-1 to the foramen magnum. The technique of exposure of the vertebral artery at these three levels and the method of vein grafting without cross-clamping are described. The initial results of the procedure are presented.


1983 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard J. Senter ◽  
Edwin T. Long

✓ A simple technique is described for extracranial vertebral artery vein bypass grafting, utilizing an internal shunt that avoids prohibitively dangerous vertebral artery cross-clamping. This procedure was carred out successfully in a patient with vertebrobasilar insufficiency.


2000 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-253
Author(s):  
U. Limaye ◽  
W. Siddhartha ◽  
M. Shrivastava ◽  
H. Parmar

An unusual case of vertebral artery pseudoaneurysm is presented. The patient was a young girl with tuberculosis of the cervical spine and paraspinal abscess. She developed a localised swelling in the left side of the neck following percutaneous drainage of the abscess. An angiogram showed a pseudoaneurysm of the left vertebral artery. Test occlusion and trapping of the aneurysm with coils was performed. Following the trapping the mass and the associated symptoms resolved without the need for direct repair. The salient features of our case and the role of endovascular management are briefly discussed.


1977 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 681-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chikao Nagashima ◽  
Takashi Iwasaki ◽  
Seiichi Kawanuma ◽  
Arata Sakaguchi ◽  
Akira Kamisasa ◽  
...  

✓ The authors report a case of a traumatic vertebral arteriovenous fistula with spinal cord symptoms. Direct closure of the fistula was followed by rapid improvement.


1971 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 706-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin L. Lazar ◽  
Clark C. Watts ◽  
Bassett Kilgore ◽  
Kemp Clark

✓ Angiography during the operative procedure is desirable, but is often difficult because of the problem of maintaining a needle or cannula in an artery for long periods of time. Cannulation of the superficial temporal artery avoids this technical problem. The artery is easily found, cannulation is simple, and obliteration of the artery is of no consequence. Cerebral angiography then provides a means for prompt evaluation of the surgical procedure at any time during the actual operation.


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