BACKGROUND Incidence rates for internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) have been reported to be 2.6 to 2.9 per 100,000, but reliable epidemiologic data for vertebral artery dissection (VAD) are not available. OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence rate of cervical artery dissection (CAD) in a defined population. METHODS With IRB approval, we used the medical record linkage system of the Roc...

Vertebral artery dissection used to be an uncommon diagnosis but it is now being diagnosed more frequently owing to the use of magnetic resonance imaging. We report on three patients with vertebral artery dissection to illustrate the importance of establishing this diagnosis by using magnetic resonance imaging in patients who present with cerebrovascular accident that involves the posterior ter...

Dissecting aneurysms of the vertebrobasilar system are infrequent. Most of the commonly reported cases describe iatrogenic or traumatic aneurysms of the extracranial vertebral artery. Spontaneous dissecting aneurysms of the extracranial vertebral artery are frequently associated with carotid artery lesions; however, such association is poorly documented in the literature. We describe a case of ...

Aberrant origin of vertebral artery is rare. The anatomical features and clinical significance of this lesion remain to be clarified. A comprehensive collection of the pertinent literature resulted in a cohort of 1286 cases involving 955 patients and 331 cadavers. There were more left than right and more unilateral than bilateral aberrant vertebral arteries. Patients with aberrant origin of ver...

Spontaneous vertebral artery dissection accounts for 2% of all ischemic strokes and can occur as a consequence of sports events. We present an unusual case of spontaneous bilateral vertebral artery dissection in a 30-year-old male patient during a basketball game. He developed severe dysphagia, right hemiparesis, and balance dysfunction. We also present a review of the pathology, diagnosis, sym...

The present report describes an anomalous case of the left vertebral artery arising from the aortic arch between the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery in a male cadaver during dissection in an anatomical laboratory. Aortic origin of the vertebral artery is a rare anatomic variant. Detailed knowledge of anomalous origin is important for patients who undergo four-vessel an...