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Vertebral Artery Hypoplasia in a Black Kenyan Population

Julius Ogeng'o1, Beda Olabu1, Rankeet Sinkeet1

  • 1Department of Human Anatomy, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197, Nairobi 00100, Kenya.

International Scholarly Research Notices
|July 7, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Vertebral artery hypoplasia, a condition where the vertebral artery diameter is less than 2.0 mm, was found in 28.9% of adult black Kenyans studied. This finding was more prevalent on the left side and in females.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Vascular Anatomy
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Vertebral artery hypoplasia (VAH) is a congenital condition affecting cerebral circulation.
  • Understanding population-specific prevalence and characteristics of VAH is crucial for clinical management.
  • Previous studies have reported varying VAH frequencies globally.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence and characteristics of VAH in adult black Kenyans.
  • To investigate potential differences in VAH occurrence based on side (left/right) and gender.
  • To compare VAH frequency in this population with other studied groups.

Main Methods:

  • Histomorphometric analysis of 346 intracranial vertebral arteries from adult black Kenyans.
  • Measurement of arterial circumference on H&E stained sections using Scion Image analyser.
  • Calculation of internal diameter (mm) and statistical analysis using SPSS v16.0.

Main Results:

  • Vertebral artery hypoplasia (diameter < 2.0 mm) was observed in 100 (28.9%) arteries.
  • VAH was more frequent on the left side (17.3%) than the right (11.6%).
  • Females (17.3%) showed a higher prevalence of VAH than males (11.6%), with statistically significant differences.

Conclusions:

  • The prevalence of VAH in adult black Kenyans is higher than reported in many other populations.
  • VAH in this cohort exhibits a distinct pattern, being more common on the left side and in females.
  • Pre-procedural evaluation of the vertebral arterial system via imaging is recommended for posterior circulation interventions.

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