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Cervical cord compression with myelopathy caused by bilateral persistence of the first intersegmental arteries: case

Toshiyuki Takahashi1, Teiji Tominaga, Tamer Hassan

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Kohnan Hospital, Sendai, Japan. toshi@nsg.med.tohoku.ac.jp

Neurosurgery
|June 26, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Vascular compression of the spinal cord by persistent first intersegmental arteries caused rare cervical myelopathy. Surgical decompression successfully treated the patient

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Vascular Surgery

Background:

  • Cervical myelopathy due to vascular compression is uncommon.
  • Vertebral artery anomalies can lead to spinal cord compromise.

Observation:

  • A 66-year-old woman presented with progressive neck and arm pain.
  • Imaging revealed bilateral vertebral arteries with anomalous intradural courses compressing the cervical spinal cord.

Findings:

  • The patient underwent microvascular decompression with arterial transposition and dural anchoring.
  • Post-operative pain relief was immediate.

Implications:

  • Surgical decompression is effective for myelopathy caused by vertebral artery anomalies.
  • Anchoring anomalous arteries to the dura can resolve vascular cord compression symptoms.
Abstract

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