The introduction of color-coded duplex ultrasonography has improved the ease of performing ultrasound investigations of the vertebral arteries. So far, normal values of flow velocities have been reported only for the intertransverse region of the vertebral artery (V2 segments). Atherosclerotic disease at the origin of the vertebral arteries (V0 segment) is frequent and is one of the risk factor...

Compromise of blood flow in the vertebral arteries associated with head rotation is generally considered an uncommon cause of vertebrobasilar insufficiency. It can occur at virtually any level of the cervical spine. We present two cases of transient total occlusion of the left vertebral artery at the atlantoaxial joint during head rotation to the right. In one case, the contralateral vertebral ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Transcranial Doppler sonography is of established value in the detection and monitoring of middle cerebral artery vasospasm. Little information exists on the utility of transcranial Doppler for detection of posterior circulation vasospasm. METHODS Cerebral angiography and conventional hand-held transcranial Doppler sonography were compared to determine sensitivity and s...

The Vertebral Artery Each vertebral artery enters the foramen magnum in front of the roots of the hypoglossal nerve, inclines forwards and medially to the anterior aspect of the medulla oblongata and unites with its fellow at the lower border of the pons to form the basilar artery. The posterior inferior cerebellar and the anterior spinal arteries are its principal branches and it sometimes giv...

Traumatic intracranial vertebral artery injury is a relatively rare but potentially fatal disease. We present a case of a 63-year-old man who presented with sudden onset of loss of consciousness after hitting his head. After immediate resuscitation, he showed quadriplegia and absence of spontaneous breathing. Brain and cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging revealed an atlantoaxial subluxati...

Injuries of the vertebral artery are rare and are usually seen after penetrating or blunt cervical trauma. Vertebral artery injuries (VAI) have been reported in 0.5% of blunt trauma cases. These injuries can lead to hemorrhage, thrombosis, arteriovenous fistula or traumatic pseudoaneurysm in the early or late period. They must be treated carefully due to their increased risk of morbidity and mo...

Vertebral artery aneurysm rupture is a rare cause of sudden death. The presented case was 31-year-old woman who was found dead in her bedroom. Family members stated that she had history of one year duration childhood epilepsy treatment. Autopsy investigation revealed 5 mm in diameter aneurysm, ruptured in 1 mm area, localized on the trunk of the right vertebral artery. We described an autopsy c...

The dorsolateral medullary syndrome (Wallenberg's syndrome) is produced by infarction of a wedge of lateral medulla posterior to the inferior olivary nucleus, and is usually caused by vertebral artery occlusion. Ipsilateral axial lateropulsion as an initial symptom of vertebral artery occlusion is rare, and the responsible anatomical structure is still uncertain. Here we describe a patient pres...

The most frequent clinical manifestation of vertebral artery dissection is posterior headache or neck pain accompanied or followed by posterior circulation transient ischemic attack or stroke. Rarer clinical features include isolated headache or neck pain, cervical spinal cord ischemia and cervical root impairment. Asymptomatic vertebral artery dissections have been reported. In the case of pri...