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Basilar artery angulation and vertigo due to the hemodynamic effect of dominant vertebral artery.

Cosar M, Yaman M, Eser O, Songur A, Ozen OA

Canakkale 18 March University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Canakkale, Turkey.

Vertebral arteries form the basilar artery at the pontobulbar junction. The vertebral artery may have dominancy in one of them. The branches of basilar arteries supply blood for the vestibular nuclei and its connections. Vertigo is seen generally in the upper middle aged patients. Vertigo can be observed in dolichoectasia of basilar artery such as angulation and elongation, because of the diminished blood supply and changed hemodynamic factors of vestibular nuclei and its connections. We hypothesized that angulation or elongation of basilar artery can be estimated according to the unilateral vertebral artery dominant hypertensive patients. The basilar artery can angulate from the dominant side of vertebral artery to the recessive side. These angulation and elongation can effect the hemodynamic factors in absence of growing collateral arteries. So, the vertigo attacks may occur in these patients.

Published 26 November 2007 in Med Hypotheses.
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