Magnetic resonance angiographic findings in vertiginous patients with slow vertebrobasilar blood flow.
To investigate arterial lesions underlying slow vertebrobasilar blood flow (SBF) which appears as a high intravascular signal on proton-density images, we examined 35 vertiginous patients, 15 with SBF and 20 without, using magnetic resonance angiography. Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia, segmental stenosis with elongation and diffuse narrowing of the vertebrobasilar arteries (VBA) were found in 4, 4 and 2 patients with SBF, respectively. In one patient with SBF, the thrombi that induced SBF seemed to have embolized to distal arteries. These abnormalities were not detected in patients without SBF, although 2 patients demonstrated aneurysm in the VBA. Because SBF is frequently associated with atherosclerotic arterial lesions, patients with SBF should be treated to prevent more severe ischemic brain disease.
Yamasoba
T
T
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Kikuchi
S
S
O'Uchi
T
T
Tokumara
A
A
Sugimura
H
H
Kaga
K
K
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D002542:Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000473:pathology; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014717:Vertigo / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology