title: The effect of vertebral artery hypoplasia in posterior circulation infarction in young patients.
abstract: Purpose Vertebral artery hypoplasia (VAH) is prevalent in the asymptomatic population and contributes to posterior circulation ischaemic events. The aims of this study were to determine whether VAH is an independent risk factor for posterior circulation infarction (PCI) stroke in young patients and to evaluate its impact on the clinical prognosis of PCI stroke in young patients. Materials and Methods The medical records of 235 young stroke patients were reviewed retrospectively. All patients underwent digital subtraction angiography (DSA). VAH was defined by a diameter of <2 mm or the absence of the lateral vertebral artery on DSA. Logistic regression analyses were performed to elucidate the independent factors associated with PCI stroke in young patients. Then, an independent two-sample t-test was performed to evaluate the clinical effect of VAH. Results Our study included 235 young patients who experienced acute ischaemic stroke, 64 of whom were diagnosed with PCI stroke and 38 of whom (16.2%) were found to have VAH. The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that gender and VAH were independent risk factors for PCI stroke in young patients. The independent two-sample t-test showed that among the young patients who experienced PCI stroke, the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score was not significantly different between the patients with and without VAH. Conclusions Our study showed that VAH increases the risk of PCI stroke in young patients. However, the influence of VAH on clinical outcomes in young patients following PCI stroke is minor.
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Neurology , Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University , Wuhan , China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: b 2 Department of Radiology , Xiangyang Central Hospital, Hubei University of Arts and Science , XiangYang , China.
authors.forename: Zhenglin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: c 3 Department of Neurology, Xiangyang Central Hospital , Hubei University of Arts and Science , XiangYang , China.
authors.forename: Hongbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: c 3 Department of Neurology, Xiangyang Central Hospital , Hubei University of Arts and Science , XiangYang , China.
authors.forename: Hongbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Neurology , Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University , Wuhan , China.
authors.forename: Chengyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000473:pathology*; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: digital subtraction angiography; posterior circulation infarction; vertebral artery hypoplasia