title: Basilar artery hypoplasia associated with changes of brainstem potential, transcranial Doppler and perfusion-weighted imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to observe brainstem hemodynamic alterations associated with basilar artery hypoplasia (BAH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine hundred and fifty-two consecutive patients received emergency multimodal computed tomography; magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiogram during the period of January 2011 to December 2014 were included. The vascular risk factors, brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP), blink reflex (BR), transcranial Doppler (TCD) and dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced perfusion-weighted imaging were completed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was significant difference in the abnormal rates of TCD and BAEP between BAH and non-BAH patients. A positive correlation between basilar artery diameter and systolic velocity among BAH patients was suggested. V-wave value was used to predict posterior circulation infarction (PCI) with the sensitivity of 0.933 and specificity of 0.50 with the cutoff value of 5.97 s. Abnormal BR rate was also significantly different in BAH and non-BAH patients. The latency of R2 was used to predict PCI with the sensitivity of 0.933 and specificity of 0.50 with the cutoff value of 46.4 ms. The incidence of hypoperfusion was higher in BAH than non-BAH group and it was significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BAH is closely associated with hemodynamic alterations within the pons, which might contribute to vascular vertigo due to regional hypoperfusion.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology , People's Hospital of Zhengzhou , Zhengzhou , P. R. China.
authors.forename: Dao Pei
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: b Department of CT and MRI , Zhengzhou People's Hospital , Zhengzhou , P. R. China.
authors.forename: Suo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology , People's Hospital of Zhengzhou , Zhengzhou , P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shu Ling
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: c Department of Neurology , People's Hospital of Henan Province , Zhengzhou , P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jie Wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: c Department of Neurology , People's Hospital of Henan Province , Zhengzhou , P. R. China.
authors.forename: Qian Kun
authors.initials: QK
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: c Department of Neurology , People's Hospital of Henan Province , Zhengzhou , P. R. China.
authors.forename: Gui Feng
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology*; D002539:Cerebral Arterial Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial / Q000379:methods*
keywords: basilar artery hypoplasia; blink reflex; brainstem auditory evoked potential; perfusion-weighted imaging; vertigo