Ultrasound for evaluation of vertebral artery course variation / 中国医学影像技术

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the value of ultrasonography for evaluating the anatomy and hemodynamic characteristics of vertebral artery course variation(VA-CV).Methods Totally 41 patients with VA-CV(VA-CV group)and 41 patients without VA-CV(control group)were enrolled.Lateral variation of vertebral artery(VA),the origin of V1 segment,the length of proximal subclavian artery(PSCA),the location of VA into the transverse foramen,the diameter of V2 segment,the peak systolic velocity(PSV)and the end-diastolic velocity(EDV)were evaluated with ultrasonography.The value of ultrasonography for evaluating VA-CV and relative hemodynamic changes were analyzed.Results Totally 49 variant VA were detected in VA-CV group,including 19 on the left and 30 on the right side,VA-CV on the right side was more often than on the left side.Seventeen(16 on the left and 1 on the right side)VA had abnormal origins,and abnormal VA origins on the left side were more than that on the right side(P＜0.001).Meanwhile,VA origins of right VA-CV were mostly lower than that of the left side VA-CV(P＜0.001).The length of right PSCA in VA-CA group was shorter than that in control group(P＜0.05).More than half variant VA entered vertebral space from the transverse foramen of C5-6(33/49,67.35％),and the higher the entrance of transverse foramen,the shorter the PSCA(P＜0.05).In VA-CV group,the diameter of V2 segment in left VA-CV patients was smaller than that in control group,while EDV in the former was lower than in the latter(both P＜0.05).Conclusion Ultrasonography could be used to objectively evaluate VA-CV and relative hemodynamic changes.