title: Cervical cord compression with myelopathy caused by bilateral persistence of the first intersegmental arteries: case report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cervical myelopathy induced by vascular compression is rare. We report a case caused by bilateral persistence of the first intersegmental arteries (a vertebral artery anomaly). Myelopathy was successfully treated with vascular decompression.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 66-year-old woman presented with gradually worsening paroxysmal neck and arm pain. Magnetic resonance imaging and angiography demonstrated anomalous intradural courses of both vertebral arteries, compressing the dorsal aspect of the cervical spinal cord.
  
  
  METHODS
  Microvascular decompression was performed with transposition of the arteries, followed by anchoring of the arteries to the dorsolateral dura mater with Gore-Tex bands (W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Flagstaff, AZ).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pain disappeared promptly after surgery. Surgical decompression, with anchoring of an anomalous vertebral artery to the dura, can relieve pain and other symptoms resulting from vascular cord compression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kohnan Hospital, Sendai, Japan. toshi@nsg.med.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Teiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tominaga
authors.forename: Tamer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshimoto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery