What is vertebral artery ectasia?
Vertebral artery ectasia refers to an abnormal dilatation of the vertebral artery. It is also known as a dolichoarterial loop (of Danziger).
What happens if vertebral artery is damaged?
In most cases, vertebral artery injury is due to an intimal tear. The torn, exposed endothelium promotes platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. This thrombus may cause local occlusion of the vessel, but more commonly, the clot will embolize to the cerebral circulation resulting in a stroke.
What happens if one vertebral artery is blocked?
If the resulting loss of brain function is permanent, it’ s called a stroke (an infarction or brain attack). A stroke can either be caused by blockage in the vertebral or basilar artery or the breaking off of a piece of plaque (embolus) that travels downstream and blocks a portion of the blood flow to the brain.
What happens if the vertebral artery is compressed?
In conclusion, medullary compression from a vertebral artery can cause a wide spectrum of clinical presentations, from sudden transient events to persistent deficits and from lower cranial nerve findings to respiratory and autonomic changes.
What is the treatment for vertebral artery dissection?
First-line treatment for cervical artery dissection usually is antiplatelet agents (such as aspirin) or anti-coagulation to prevent the formation of blood clots. Antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin or clopidogrel may used alone or in combination.
Can vertebral arteries cause dizziness?
In a vertebral artery dissection, blood enters between layers of the vertebral artery, resulting in diminished blood flow. This can cause a stroke, dizziness and vertigo, visual disturbances, and numerous other neurological disturbances.
Can vertebral artery be stented?
Stenting of extracranial symptomatic vertebral stenosis was performed in this multicenter study with a low periprocedural risk and appears safe compared with BMT alone. There was a nonsignificant reduction in recurrent stroke risk in the stented compared with the BMT arm.