Vertebral artery disease: radiological evaluation medical management, and microsurgical treatment

The neuroradiological evaluation, perioperative medical management, and microsurgical treatment of variously located vertebral artery lesions are presented. Four types of surgical procedures were undertaken: proximal vertebral artery to common carotid artery end-to-side anastomosis; external carotid artery to midcervical vertebral artery end-to-side anastomosis; external carotid artery to distal cervical vertebral artery end-to-end anastomosis; and occipital artery to posterior inferior cerebellar artery end-to-side anastomosis. Each case is used to demonstrate the evaluation and management involved, the type of and rationale for the surgical procedure selected, and the patency of the anastomosis performed. Two points are emphasized. One is that, after careful angiographic evaluation and improved perioperative medical management, lesions of the vertebral artery are indeed amenable to microsurgical intervention with relatively low risk to the patient. The other is that, whenever possible, anastomosis of the largest caliber of vessels with the least number of suture lines is the surgical treatment of choice.