Anatomical Study On Vertebral Artery And Its Variation

ObjectiveThe vertebral artery(VA)and its adjacent morphological changes area were studied by computerized tomography angiography(CTA),providing reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.MethodsA total of 96 patients who underwent head and neck CTA examination from February 2022 to September 2022 were randomly selected,including 51 males and 45 females,aged 29-87 years,with an average age of 58.81±11.69 years.GE ADW4.7 workstation was used for three-dimensional imaging,and the diameter and area of the vertebral artery and the area of the transverse foramen(TF)were measured,and the course of the vertebral artery and related variations were observed anatomically.Imaging methods include maximum intensity projection(MIP),three-dimensional volume rendering(VR),multiple planar reformation(MPR),curved planar reformation(CPR),etc.Results1.The vertebral artery is often asymmetric,the left vertebral artery is usually dominant,and the diameter of the vertebral artery in women is smaller than that in men.2.The area of the transverse protrusion on the left side is relatively larger than that on the right side,and the areas of transverse protrusions at different levels are C3,C6,C5,and C4 in descending order.The area of the transverse foramen occupied by the vertebral artery ranged from11.43 to 69.70%.3.The largest proportion of transverse foramen area occupied by vertebral artery is C5 level,and the smallest is C3 level.4.The normal origin of the vertebral artery is from the subclavian artery in 90 cases,accounting for93.75%.Abnormal origin in 6 cases,accounting for 6.25%.5.The bilateral vertebral arteries entered the C6 transverse foramen normally in 91 cases,accounting for 94.80%;abnormally entered the transverse foramen in 5 cases,accounting for 5.20%.6.26% vertebral artery dominance(VAD)was found to be codominant(equal),47% left vertebral artery dominance,27% right vertebral artery dominance.In patients with codominant vertebral artery dominance,32%of the basilar artery(BA)course followed the midline,40% had a left course,and 28% had a right course.In patients with left vertebral artery dominance,40% of the basilar artery route followed the midline,27% had a left route,and33% had a right route.In patients with right vertebral artery dominance,38% of the basilar artery route followed the midline,50% had a left route,and 12% had a right route.Conclusions1.The size of the vertebral artery varies greatly among different populations.2.The larger the transverse foramen area,the larger the area of the vertebral artery,and there is a certain correlation.3.The percentage area of the vertebral artery in the intervertebral foramen varies between different levels Significant changes.4.The left and right vertebral arteries are more likely to be asymmetrical when the left vertebral artery originates from the aortic arch.5.The course of the basilar artery is more likely to follow the midline and right course in the case of left vertebral artery predominance,while the left side course of the basilar artery is most common in the case of right vertebral artery predominance.