What happens if vertebral artery is occluded?

What happens if vertebral artery is occluded?

Occlusion of an intracranial vertebral artery can cause ischemia in the lateral medulla resulting in Wallenburg Syndrome (decreased pain/temperature of the ipsilateral face and contralateral body, Horner’s syndrome, limb ataxia, hoarse voice, dysphagia).

Is vertebral artery occlusion a stroke?

Conclusions—Patients with symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery or basilar stenosis are at high risk of stroke, MI, or sudden death. Further studies are needed to clarify optimal therapy for these patients. Atherosclerotic stenosis of the major intracranial arteries is an important cause of ischemic stroke.

What causes a tortuous vertebral artery?

Although the etiology of VALF is not clear, hypotheses have been reported in the literature, including as a development secondary to cervical spondylotic degenerative changes, or due to atherosclerotic disease, or due to vertebral artery elongation caused by narrowing of disc space or trauma [5,6,7].

How is vertebral artery occlusion diagnosed?

Vertebrobasilar insufficiency diagnosis Studies of the vertebral and basilar arteries can be performed using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and standard angiography (X-ray study using injected dye). These are used to identify vertebrobasilar artery disease.

What causes a vertebral artery stroke?

Etiology of Vertebrobasilar Stroke Vertebrobasilar insufficiency or stroke may be caused by a number of mechanisms, including thrombus, embolism, and hemorrhage (secondary to aneurysm or trauma). In general, strokes occur because of ischemic events (80-85% of patients) or hemorrhage (15-20% of patients).

Which vertebral artery is dominant?

A vertebral artery was considered dominant when a side-to-side diameter difference >0.16mm exists. In 54% of the cases the left diameter was dominant, whereas in 30% the right diameter was dominant. In 16% of the cases, the left arterial diameter was equal to the right (Table 3).

What is a tortuous vertebral artery?

Arterial tortuosity is not an uncommon condition and is especially common in cerebral arteries. Moderate arterial tortuosity is often not symptomatic; however, depending on localization and severity, tortuosity may lead to various symptoms. Tortuous vertebral arteries are often associated with the elderly.

Is the vertebral artery Intracranial?

Abstract. The intracranial segment of the vertebral artery (VA) is the unique part of the artery where the two VAs join to form a single vascular channel, viz. the basilar artery.