Clinical Correlation: Vertebral Artery Syndrome – Carotid and Subclavian Arteries

00:00 Here, we’re looking at a clinical correlation of the vertebral artery. This is vertebral artery syndrome. Like the carotid artery, we’re going to begin with the development over time of atherosclerotic lesions of the proximal vertebral artery or another condition that can cause this syndrome is dissection of the vertebral artery proximal to where it enters at the transverse foramen. Now, the symptoms that we see here relate to almost complete to complete obstruction of the vertebral artery. So if it’s not completely obstructed, maybe you have some dizziness but again, we also have the internal carotids coming into play here. So you do have a collateral circulation. Definitely with the symptoms that follow here like double vision, diplopia, here we’re looking at the situation where the vertebral artery is completely occluded. The dissection has completely occluded the lumen or with the development of atherosclerotic lesions over a prolonged period of time, perhaps an embolus or a thrombus completely occludes the vertebral arterial circulation to the brain. So now, you have the stroke symptoms of diplopia. It could have bilateral leg weakness in this situation. Hemiparesis is another symptom that certainly could develop.

01:41 Then numbness could also be a symptom with complete occlusion.