Dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral artery--angiographic patterns at the dissecting site on balloon test occlusion

At present, the risk of future hemorrhage or ischemic insult from vertebral artery (VA) dissection cannot be estimated from available imaging data. We investigated the relationship between symptoms and the angiographic patterns of the dissecting site on balloon test occlusion (BTO) to develop guidelines for clinical decision-making.

We retrospectively reviewed 18 patients with unilateral VA dissection who presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) or cerebral infarction. We analyzed the angiographic findings at the dissecting site on contralateral VA angiograms during BTO of the affected VA, classified the angiographic patterns into two types, and compared the symptoms they presented.

Patients with dissection opacified from the distal to the proximal side are more likely to present with cerebral infarction than SAH. Conversely, patients with dissection opacified from the proximal to the distal side had a significantly higher incidence of SAH.

Angiographic findings at the dissecting site on contralateral VA angiograms during BTO of the affected VA are helpful for considering the treatment and prognosis of patients with VA dissecting aneurysms.