Posterior circulation revascularization

Abstract

✓ Eight patients were evaluated for severe vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI). There were five males and three females, with an average age of 60.2 years (range 42 to 67 years). Three were diabetic and five hypertensive, including two patients who had both diseases. Seven of the eight had ongoing episodes of VBI refractory to anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet agents. Symptoms included two or more of the following in all patients: dizziness, diplopia, hemiparesis, hemihypesthesia, perioral numbness, bilateral visual blurring, dysarthria, and ataxia. Angiography revealed severe atherosclerotic stenosis of the proximal or midsection of the basilar artery in all patients. A 10-cm segment of the anterior or posterior division of the superficial temporal artery (STA) was anastomosed to a proximal segment of the superior cerebellar artery (SCA) through a right subtemporal approach. Seven of eight (87%) postoperative angiograms demonstrated patency as evidenced by filling of the SCA and, in most cases, of the ba...