title: Characteristics of vascular lesions in patients with posterior circulation infarction according to age and region of infarct.
abstract: Patients with posterior circulation infarction underwent CT angiography and magnetic resonance angiography. Intracranial and extracranial vasculopathy was evaluated according to age group and location of stroke. Patients aged > 60 years and < 60 years had similar rates of vertebral artery dominance and vertebrobasilar artery developmental or origin anomalies. Vertebrobasilar artery stenosis or occlusion and tortuosity occurred more frequently in patients aged > 60 years than < 60 years. The rates of vertebrobasilar artery anomalies and tortuosity were high in patients with posterior circulation infarction. Vertebrobasilar artery tortuosity occurred more frequently in patients aged > 60 years, whereas vertebrobasilar artery developmental anomalies occurred with similar frequency in patients aged < 60 years and > 60 years. Patients with infarction of the brainstem or cerebellum were more likely to have vertebral artery stenosis or occlusion, basilar artery stenosis or occlusion, vertebral artery dominance or tortuosity, and basilar artery tortuosity, and patients with infarction of the thalamus, medial temporal, or occipital lobes were more likely to have stenosis or occlusion of the vertebral or basilar arteries. Vertebrobasilar artery tortuosity, vertebral artery dominance (hypoplasia), and congenital variations of the vertebrobasilar system may lead to posterior circulation infarction at different locations in different age groups.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Neurology, Zhengzhou People's Hospital, Zhengzhou 450003, Henan Province, China.
authors.forename: Daopei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Neurology, Zhengzhou People's Hospital, Zhengzhou 450003, Henan Province, China.
authors.forename: Shuling
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Neurology, Zhengzhou People's Hospital, Zhengzhou 450003, Henan Province, China.
authors.forename: Hongtao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China.
authors.forename: Yuming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
keywords: CT angiography; acute cerebral infarction; artery tortuosity; magnetic resonance angiography; neural regeneration; neuroimaging; vertebral artery; vertebrobasilar artery