title: Bilateral occlusion of vertebral artery: clinical patterns and long-term prognosis.
abstract: We studied 17 patients with atherosclerotic bilateral occlusion of vertebral arteries (VA) identified by angiography. Seven had vertebrobasilar TIAs, eight a brainstem stroke (severe in two), and two had only carotid symptoms. Brainstem strokes were more frequent with bilateral intracranial occlusion (60%) than with at least one extracranial occlusion (28.6%), but long-term prognosis did not differ in these two groups. In follow-up, the mortality rate was 4.5% per year, and the stroke rate was 1.8% per year. Major functional disability was seen in 16.7% of the survivors. Bilateral distal VA occlusion may sometimes have a better prognosis than previously assumed. These findings raise doubts about the value of extra-intracranial surgical bypass procedures in patients with these lesions.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications; D003097:Collateral Circulation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors; D014711:Vertebral Artery