What causes dolichoectasia?
Dolichoectasia is associated with hypertension, older age, and male sex; it is also reportedly associated with heritable connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome and Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (2).
What are the symptoms of vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia?
The mass effect of VBD can compress the nearby brainstem and cranial nerves, leading to symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, choking on water, cranial nerve damage, neurogenic hypertension, or pseudo space-occupying lesions within cranial fossa [4, 6, 29-31].
What is intracranial dolichoectasia?
Intracranial arterial dolichoectasia is a condition characterized by enlargement, tortuosity, or elonga- tion of major arteries at the base of the brain, usu- ally the distal vertebral arteries, the basilar artery, and the distal internal carotid artery segments.
What is dolichoectasia of the left vertebral artery?
Abstract. Dolichoectasia of vertebrobasilar artery is a condition in which the vertebral/basilar artery is elongated, distended and tortuous. It is usually asymptomatic. It may present with compressive or ischemic symptoms. Hydrocephalus as a complication of vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia is rare.
Is vertebrobasilar insufficiency serious?
Many people with VBI have only minor health problems. But VBI puts you at higher risk for a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA, or mini stroke). This condition can also sometimes cause serious disability and death.
What is the most common cause of vertebrobasilar insufficiency?
Atherosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries” is the main cause of vertebrobasilar disease. The narrowing of the vertebral or basilar arteries caused by atherosclerosis creates vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI), or an insufficient delivery of blood flow to the posterior structures of the brain.
What feeds the basilar artery?
During the 4th gestational week, the internal carotid artery bifurcates into the anterior and posterior divisions. It is the posterior division that gives rise to the fetal posterior cerebral artery, which eventually feeds the basilar artery.
What is dolichoectasia of the brain?
Background: Dolichoectasia is a rare disorder of the cerebral vasculature consisting of vascular elongation, widening, and tortuosity, usually involving the vertebral and basilar arteries. Its neurological symptoms and signs are highly variable.
How is dolichoectasia classified in the vertebrobasilar system?
To be classified as dolichoectasia, in the vertebrobasilar system, the basilar arterialdiameter should be >4.5 mm 1. Smoker’s criteriauses three quantitative measures of basilar artery morphology: basilar artery diameter, laterality, and height of bifurcation.9
What is the rate of incidence of dolichoectasia?
Dolichoectasias are more common in males 2. With intracranial dolichoectasia, the incidence is estimated at ~3% (range 0.06-5.8%) 2 . Ischemic effects on the brain stem and cerebellar hemispheres as well as symptoms related to hydrocephalus are common.
What is dolichoectasia in Fabry disease?
dolichoectasia is a possible cerebrovascular manifestation of Fabry disease10 Radiographic features To be classified as dolichoectasia, in the vertebrobasilar system, the basilar arterialdiameter should be >4.5 mm 1.