Mechanical compression of the extracranial vertebral artery during neck rotation.
Using duplex ultrasonography (US), the authors showed compression of the extracranial vertebral artery (ECVA) during neck rotation in 5.0% of 1,108 patients. Age (per 10-year increase, OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.96), vessel diameters (per 0.5-mm diameter increase, OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.79), and symptoms upon neck rotation (OR 4.01, 95% CI 1.35 to 11.9) were associated with vessel compression. In one case, SPECT revealed decreased cerebral perfusion of the hindbrain during rotation. ECVA US is useful in identifying vessel compression, especially in patients with symptoms on neck rotation.
D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000209:etiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck; D011312:Pressure; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000098:blood supply; D012399:Rotation; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013575:Syncope / Q000209:etiology; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology