This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Moufarrij, N. A. Articles by Marzewski, D. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Moufarrij, N. A. Articles by Marzewski, D. J.

Stroke, Vol 15, 260-263, Copyright © 1984 by American Heart Association

ARTICLES

Vertebral artery stenosis: long-term follow-up

NA Moufarrij, JR Little, AJ Furlan, G Williams and DJ Marzewski

Ninety-six patients with greater than or equal to 50% unilateral vertebral artery (VA) stenosis were followed up for an average of 4.6 years. In 89 patients (93%) at least one VA origin was involved, while the intracranial VA was affected in 3 patients (3%). Seventy-four patients (77%) had greater than or equal to 50% stenosis of at least one internal carotid artery, of whom 52 underwent carotid endarterectomy. None of the patients had definite vertebrobasilar transient ischemic attacks (VB TIA). Nineteen patients (19.8%) experienced non-localizing symptoms possibly compatible with VB TIA, none of whom had a stroke. Twenty-three patients (24%) had strokes. The only two patients (2%) who sustained a brainstem infarction had fatal strokes and both were known to have basilar artery stenosis in addition to their VA stenosis. The observed stroke rate was 8.5 times the expected infarction rate for a normal population. Forty patients died during follow up. The observed 5-year survival rate was 60% compared to 87% in a matched normal population. Eight deaths (20% of all deaths) were caused by stroke and 21 deaths (52.5% of all deaths) were cardiac related. VA stenosis is most frequently located at the VA origin (93%), and is associated with a low incidence of brainstem infarction.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A.I. Qureshi, J.F. Kirmani, P. Harris-Lane, A.A. Divani, S. Ahmed, A. Ebrihimi, A. Al Kawi, and N. Janjua Vertebral artery origin stent placement with distal protection: technical and clinical results. AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., May 1, 2006; 27(5): 1140 - 1145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Amin-Hanjani, X. Du, M. Zhao, K. Walsh, T. W. Malisch, and F. T. Charbel Use of Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Angiography to Stratify Stroke Risk in Symptomatic Vertebrobasilar Disease Stroke, June 1, 2005; 36(6): 1140 - 1145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G.C. Cloud and H.S. Markus Diagnosis and management of vertebral artery stenosis QJM, January 1, 2003; 96(1): 27 - 54. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. J. Furlan CVA: Reducing the Risk of a Confused Vascular Analysis : The Feinberg Lecture Stroke, June 1, 2000; 31(6): 1451 - 1456. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Malek, R. T. Higashida, C. C. Phatouros, T. E. Lempert, P. M. Meyers, D. R. Gress, C. F. Dowd, and V. V. Halbach Treatment of Posterior Circulation Ischemia With Extracranial Percutaneous Balloon Angioplasty and Stent Placement Stroke, October 1, 1999; 30(10): 2073 - 2085. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. J. Wityk, H. M. Chang, A. Rosengart, W.-C. Han, L. D. DeWitt, M. S. Pessin, and L. R. Caplan Proximal Extracranial Vertebral Artery Disease in the New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Registry Arch Neurol, April 1, 1998; 55(4): 470 - 478. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]