Using CT Angiography to Diagnose Vertebral Artery Dissection
Author Information
Author(s): Teasdale Evelyn, Zampakis Peter, Santosh Celestine, Razvi Saif
Primary Institution: Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Hypothesis
Can multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) effectively diagnose vertebral artery dissection (VAD) in patients with acute stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage?
Conclusion
MDCTA is a safe and reliable technique for diagnosing vertebral artery dissection, with increased wall thickness and vessel diameter being the most common features observed.
Supporting Evidence
- MDCTA features of VAD included increased wall thickness in 97.7% of arteries and increased vessel diameter in 93.3%.
- All dissected arteries had either lumen stenosis or associated segmental occlusion.
- Follow-up imaging showed that 14 out of 32 vessels returned to normal after treatment.
Takeaway
Doctors used a special type of CT scan to look at the blood vessels in the neck and found that it works well to spot problems like tears in the arteries that can cause strokes.
Methodology
Patients with vertebral artery dissection were assessed using MDCTA over a 4-year period, and the radiological features were analyzed based on established criteria.
Limitations
The study may have missed some cases of isolated V1 dissection due to the imaging protocol used.
Participant Demographics
The cohort included 35 patients (25 males, mean age 49.6 years) with spontaneous or traumatic vertebral artery dissection.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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