• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.355-359
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• 2006

Objective : The purpose of our study is to examine the clinical significance of vertebrobasilar artery[VBA] fenestration and duplication. In addition, we review its incidence and pathogenesis. Methods : Cerebral angiography was performed in 803 patients and magnetic resonance angiography[MRA] in 880; the patients had or were suspected to have cerebrovascular disease. We retrospectively reviewed angiography and MRA. Results : Fifteen patients [eight men, seven women, 3 to 77 years of age, median age = 58 years] had a VBA fenestration and duplication. Seven [7/803 = 0.87%] of the patients undergoing cerebral angiography revealed fenestrations and one duplication of VBA. Ten patients [10/880 = 114%] among 880 patients that underwent MRA demonstrated fenestration of basilar artery[BA]. Two of 66 patients that underwent both conventional cerebral angiography and cranial MRA showed a fenestration of BA. Twelve fenestrations were located in the proximal portion of the BA and one was in the mid portion of the BA. One vertebral artery[VA] fenestration was located in the intracranial portion of the right VA, and one VA duplication was at the level of $C_{1-2}$ in the left VA. Conclusion : In addition to medial defects, flow phenomena at the proximal end of fenestrations, where hemodynamic stress and increased turbulence are present, may contribute to aneurysm formation. And arterial fenestration is a predisposing factor in vascular injury and cerebral ischemia.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2012

Objective : Hemifacial spasm (HFS) caused by vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is very rare, and in theses cases, it is difficult to decompress the nerve from its vascular compression. The objective of this study was to investigate the outcome of microvascular decompression (MVD) for HFS caused by VBD. Methods : There were 10 patients of HFS caused by VBD at our hospital between September 1978 and September 2008. We evaluated magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and time of flight magnetic resonance imaginge (TOF MRI) findings using the criteria for VBD. We compared the clinical outcomes of MVD for the 10 patients with VBD with the overall outcomes of the total 2058 MVDs performed for HFS. Results : The results of MVD for HFS caused by VBD were successful in 90.9% of cases. The postoperative complication rate in VBD was 45.5%. Offending vessels in patients with VBD were identified visually during surgery. Adverse effects after MVD were found in 4 patients. We found that the diameter of VBD was significantly greater in patients with complications than in those with no complications (p=0.028). Conclusion : Our data shows that MVD may be a good treatment modality for HFS caused by VBD but care must be taken to avoid adverse effects from the procedure. It is important to detach the dolichoectatic artery from its surrounding structures sufficiently to allow it to be easily movable. In addition, attempts should be made to lessen the retraction of the cerebellum during release of the dolichoectatic artery.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.85-89
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• 2020

Bow hunter's syndrome is a rare disease that shows the symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency resulting from a dynamic obstruction or stenosis of the vertebral arteries during neck movement. This paper reports a case of a 59-year-old male who visited the emergency room with diplopia, tinnitus, and gait disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging and angiography revealed a multiple cerebellar infarct, total obstruction of the right vertebral artery, and dynamic obstruction of the left vertebral artery during neck extension. As the infarction worsened, a thrombectomy was done. Posterior decompression and fusion at C5-6 were performed for the left vertebral artery. The left vertebral arterial patency was confirmed by intraoperative and postoperative angiography. No recurrence of the symptoms was observed for six months after surgery. Physicians need to pay attention to the diagnosis of vertebrobasilar insufficiency caused by an obstruction of the vertebral arteries during neck extension in cervical instability patients.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2008

Objective : Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is considered as a reversible pathophysiological condition mainly induced by continuous vascular compression of the facial nerve root exit zone (REZ) at the cerebellopontine angle. As an offending vessel, vertebrobasilar artery tends to compress much more heavily than others. The authors analyzed HFS caused by vertebrobasilar artery and described the relationships between microsurgical findings and clinical courses. Methods : Out of 1,798 cases treated with microvascular decompression (MVD) from Jan. 1980 to Dec. 2004. the causative vessels were either vertebral artery or basilar artery in 87 patients. Seventy-nine patients were enrolled in this study. Preoperatively, computed tomography (CT) or brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with 3-dimentional short range MR technique was performed and CT was checked immediately or 2-3 days after anesthetic recovery. The authors retrospectively analyzed the clinical features. the compression patterns of the vessels at the time of surgery and treatment outcomes. Results : There were 47 were male and 32 female patients. HFS developed on the left side in 52 cases and on the right side in 27. The mean age of onset was 52.3 years (range 19-60) and the mean duration of symptoms was 10.7 years. Many patients (39 cases; 49.1%) had past history of hypertension. HFS caused only by the vertebral artery was 8 cases although most of the other cases were caused by vertebral artery (VA) in combination with its branching arteries. Most frequently, the VA and the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) were the simultaneous causative blood vessels comprising 32 cases (40.5%). and in 27 cases (34.2 %) the VA and the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) were the offenders. Facial symptoms disappeared in 61 cases (77.2%) immediately after the operation and 68 cases (86.1%) showed good outcome after 6 months. Surgical outcome just after the operation was poor in whom the perforators arose from the offending vessels concurrently (p<0.05). Conclusion : In case where the vertebral artery is a cause of HFS, commonly branching arteries associated with main arterial compression on facial REZ requires more definite treatment for proper decompression because of its relatively poor results compared to the condition caused by other vascular compressive origins.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.239-242
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• 2013

Spontaneous bilateral cerebellar infarction in the territory of the superior cerebellar arteries is extremely rare. Occasionally there have been reports of bilateral cerebellar infarction due to vertebrobasilar atherosclerotic occlusion or stenosis, whereas no report of bilateral cerebellar infarction due to complicated hemodynamic changes. In this report, we present a patient with bilateral cerebral infarctions related to stenoses of bilateral internal carotid arteries, in whom vertebrobasilar system was supplied by multiple collaterals from both posterior communicating arteries and right external carotid artery. We performed stent-angioplasty of bilateral internal cerebral arterial stenosis, and then acute infarction developed on bilateral superior cerebellar artery territories. The authors assumed that the infarction occurred due to hemodynamic change between internal carotid artery and external carotid artery after stent-angioplasty for stenosis of right internal carotid artery.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.400-404
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• 2016

We report a case of acute ischemic stroke involving both the anterior and posterior circulation associated with a persistent primitive trigeminal artery (PPTA), treated by endovascular revascularization for acute basilar artery (BA) occlusion via the PPTA. An otherwise healthy 67-year-old man experienced sudden loss of consciousness and quadriplegia. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an extensive acute infarction in the right cerebral hemisphere, and magnetic resonance angiography showed occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) and BA. Because the volume of infarction in the territory of the right MCA was extensive, we judged the use of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator to be contraindicated. Cerebral angiography revealed hypoplasia of both vertebral arteries and the presence of a PPTA from the right internal carotid artery. A microcatheter was introduced into the BA via the PPTA and revascularization was successfully performed using a Merci Retriever with adjuvant low-dose intraarterial urokinase. After treatment, his consciousness level and right motor weakness improved. Although persistent carotid-vertebrobasilar anastomoses such as a PPTA are relatively rare vascular anomalies, if the persistent primitive artery is present, it can be an access route for mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.115-120
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• 2015

PURPOSE: Vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) should be carefully assessed in patient for whom manipulation of the cervical spine is to be undertaken. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in posterior cerebral artery blood flow velocity following head and body positioning by transcranial doppler ultrasonography (TCD) in healthy subjects. METHODS: Twenty two healthy female (mean age $20.77{\pm}1.30yrs.$) participants volunteered to participate in the study. None of the participants had a history of neck pain or headache within the last 6 months. To evaluate the cerebral blood flow, we measured the mean flow velocity of the posterior cerebral artery unilaterally (right side). The blood flow velocity was measured under 3 different head positions (in a neutral head position, ipsilateral head rotation and contralateral head rotation position) and 2 different body conditions (supine position and sitting position). RESULTS: The mean blood flow velocity of posterior cerebral artery was decreased in body positioning from supine to sitting (p<.05), but the decreased rate of blood flow velocity in posterior cerebral artery did not change significantly between ipsilateral head rotation and contralateral head rotation (p>.05). CONCLUSION: These result of our study show that body positioning (sitting and supine) affect the blood flow velocity in posterior cerebral artery.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.316-321
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• 2017

The occurrence of subclavian steal syndrome is possible in patients with either severe stenosis or occlusion in the left proximal subclavian or brachiocephalic arteries. Limited and insufficient blood flow in the vessel with a lesion induces blood supply from the opposite side via any of the connected vessels, which is called a subclavian steal phenomenon. The duplex sonography is useful for detecting this phenomenon. Some patients who experience this phenomenon complain of vertebrobasilar insufficiency, such as headache or numbness and weakness in the arm, and so on. Subclavian steal syndrome means subclavian steal phenomenon accompanied by these symptoms. We present a patient with focal severe stenosis of the brachiocephalic artery, manifested as blood flow reversal in the vertebral, and a "to-and-fro" waveform pattern in the external carotid, internal carotid, and common carotid arteries.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.1291-1296
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• 2002

Blood circulation of brain is divided into two major categories; anterior one from carotid artery and posterior one from vertebrobasilar artery. In stroke patients, it is important to diagnose which is involved, because there is many difference in the aspects of clinical menifestations and prognosis, especially in the acute stage. In some cases of vertebrobasilar infarction, such as Wallenberg's syndrome, charicteristic cranial nerve signs, eye movement disorders and cerebellar signs are appeared. And in Dejerine's syndrome, only pure motor or sensory defecits can be appeared without any brainstem signs. So It shoud be differenciated by Brain MRI from those of the cerebral hemisphere lesions. And in the cases that nausea, vomitting and dysphagia are the first menifestations, it is frequently misdiagnosed as internal medical disease, causing appropriate treatment delayed. In this case report, we are to describe the clinical menifestations and progresses of two cases of brainstem infarctions, review previously published case reports about them and compare them to our cases. The first is Dejerine's syndrome i.e. medial medullary infarction, the second is Wallenberg's syndrome i.e. lateral medullary infarction. Simultaneously we are to investigate the oriental medical approach in the bran stem infarctions.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.55-58
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• 2013

Persistent proatlantal artery (PPA) is a rare embryologically remnant carotico-vertebrobasilar anastomoses. There are two types of PPA according to embryological considerations, origin and anatomic course. Type I PPA usually originate from internal carotid artery and not traversing transverse foramen. Type II PPA traverses from external carotid artery to C1 transverse foramen. The PPA is usually found incidentally without clinical symptoms, but can be related to several clinically significant vascular lesions, such as hypoplastic vertebral artery, intracranial arteriovenous malformation and in a case of carotid endarterectomy or external carotid artery embolization. So, thorough understanding of this anomaly is needed and we report a case of type II PPA diagnosed by MR angiography.