What does a positive vertebral artery test mean?

Perform passive rotation of the neck to the same side and hold for approximately 30 seconds. Repeat test with head movement to the opposite side. Test is considered positive if there is dropping of the arms, loss of balance, or pronation of the hands; a positive result indicates decreased blood supply to the brain.

What is supplied by vertebral artery?

The vertebral arteries (VA) are paired arteries, each arising from the respective subclavian artery and ascending in the neck to supply the posterior fossa and occipital lobes, as well as provide segmental vertebral and spinal column blood supply.

What happens if the vertebral artery is compressed?

Tortuosity of the vertebral artery and compression of the brainstem may cause blood flow insufficiency in perforating branches which may lead to transient symptoms. If the impingement is severe and does not revolve, patients may have progressive symptoms.

What is a vertebral artery stroke?

Vertebrobasilar strokes are interruptions of blood flow to the posterior circulation. While these types of strokes are relatively uncommon, they are a disproportionate cause of morbidity and mortality compared to anterior circulation strokes due to discreet symptoms that resemble non-stroke medical conditions.

What happens if one vertebral artery is blocked?

If your vertebral artery stenosis is severe enough to cause a stroke or TIA, you may experience the following sudden symptoms: numbness, weakness or paralysis in an arm, leg or your face, especially on one side of the body. trouble speaking, including slurred speech. confusion, including problems understanding speech.

How common is vertebral artery compression?

Vertebral artery compression of the upper spinal cord is an extremely rare cause of cervical myelopathy. To the best of our knowledge, a total of 15 patients with cervical myelopathy due to vertebral artery compression have been reported in the literature (18).

How do you treat a vertebral artery dissection?

First-line treatment for cervical artery dissection usually is antiplatelet agents (such as aspirin) or anti-coagulation to prevent the formation of blood clots. Antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin or clopidogrel may used alone or in combination.

How common are vertebral artery strokes?

It is estimated that vertebral artery dissection is the cause of approximately 2% of all ischemic strokes. However, in middle-aged and younger patients (30 to 45 years of age), it is believed to be as high as 10% to 25%, representing a significant population affected by this condition.

What is the natural history of vertebral artery disease?

We review vertebral artery anatomy, what is known of the natural history of vertebral artery disease, the role of imaging in the diagnosis of vertebral artery stenosis, and treatments for vertebral artery stenosis. The vertebral artery arises from the supraposterior aspect of the first part of the subclavian artery.

Where does the vertebral artery begin and end?

This segment begins after the artery passes through the transverse foramen of the axis (C2) where it is subdivided into two parts; vertical and horizontal: Vertical part courses superiorly, crossing the root of the C2 spinal nerve and entering the transverse foramen of the atlas (C1).

What is the name of the fourth segment of the vertebral artery?

Intracranial vertebral artery stenosis in the fourth segment of the vertebral artery often also involves the basilar artery, and is more strongly associated with brainstem infarction than extracranial vertebral artery stenosis.

What are the symptoms of vertebral artery ectasia?

Vertebral artery ectasia refers to an abnormal dilatation of the vertebral artery. It is also known as a dolichoarterial loop ( of Danziger ). Symptoms occur due to radicular compression or pathologic fracture (rare) from extensive bone erosion. Generally, patients present with headache, dizziness, suboccipital pain, nausea and vomiting.

What does a positive vertebral artery test mean? Perform passive rotation of the neck to the same side and hold for approximately 30 seconds. Repeat test with head movement to the opposite side. Test is considered positive if there is dropping of the arms, loss of balance, or pronation of the hands; a positive result…