An anatomical investigation of the proximal vertebral arteries (V1, V2)

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader An anatomical investigation of the proximal vertebral arteries (V1, V2) in a select South African population Via radiol anat Surg Radiol Anat. 2021 Mar 10. doi: 10.1007/s00276-021-02712-x. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: The most common type of vascular complication during cervical spine surgery is the vertebral artery (VA) injury. The presence of anatomical variation in the artery's morphology has been a significant factor for arterial injury during surgery. Therefore, physicians planning interventions in the craniospinal region need to be aware of the extents of variations. In addit ion to vascular injury, anatomical variations can predispose to some pathologies in the posterior circulation territory. To provide useful data to interventional radiologists, anatomists, and surgeons, we evaluated the anatomical features of the V1 and V2 segments of the VA in a South African population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is an observational, retrospective chart review of 554 consecutive South African patients (Black, Indian and White) who had undergone computed tomography angiography (CTA) from January 2009 to September 2019. RESULTS: The VA exhibited morphological variation in its course. We report the incidence of variant origin of the left VA, all from the aortic arch. Variation in the level of entry into the transverse foramen ranged between C7 and C3. A left dominant pattern was observed; we also report on hypoplasia of the VA. In addition, we report incidence of VA tortuosity at V1, V2 to be 76.6% and 32.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The base line data established in this study regarding the diameter, variant origin, and level of entry into the transverse foramen will assist neurosurgeons and interventional radiologists in interpreting, diagnosing, and planning and executing various vascular procedures and treatment of pathology in the vicinity of the VA. PMID:33689007 | DOI:10.1007/s00276-021-02712-x View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.