Clinical significance of the vertebral artery hypoplasia

Abstract

Because of their anatomical localization, vertebral arteries were neglected in research for a long period of time. Vertebral arteries are responsible for about 30% of the brain blood supply. The aim of this study was to analyze the normal and variable dimensions of the vertebral artery size such as hypoplasia and aplasia, and to emphasize the clinical importance of these congenital variations. For the purpose of this study we examined radiographs of 30 patients who had CT angiography undertaken for a variety of clinical reasons, performed as a part of their medical treatment at the University Clinic for Radiology in Skopje, R. Macedonia. We analyzed CT reports for the diameter of the vertebral artery. The diameter of the left vertebral artery was from 1.6-5.20 mm, average 3.35 mm. The diameter of the right vertebral artery was from 1.64-5.40 mm, average 3.19 mm. Hypoplasia of the vessel was found in four patients. We found no aplasia of the vessel in this series. Vertebral artery hypoplasia is common in the Macedonian population and can be reliably diagnosed on CT scans. Our study has highlighted the clinical significance of vertebral artery hypoplasia in stroke and migraine.