Medial Loop of V2 Segment of Vertebral Artery Causing Compression of Proximal Cervical Root
Open Access
- 1 January 2012
- journal article
- Published by Korean Neurosurgical Society in Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
- Vol. 52 (6), 513-516
- https://doi.org/10.3340/jkns.2012.52.6.513
Abstract
It is rare that the medial loop in the V2 segment of the vertebral artery (VA) causes compression of the proximal cervical root of the spinal cord without leading to bony erosion and an enlarged foramen. We evaluated the clinical significance and incidence of the medial loop in the V2 segment of the VA. We reviewed the records from 1000 consecutive patients who had undergone magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of the cervical spine between January 2005 and January 2008. The inclusion criteria were that over a third of the axial aspect of the VA located in the intervertebral foramen was inside the line between the most ventral points of the bilateral lateral mass, and that the ipsilateral proximal root deviated dorsally because of the medial loop of the VA. We excluded cases of bone erosion, a widened foramen at the medial loop of the VA, any bony abnormalities, tumors displacing VA, or vertebral fractures. The medical records were reviewed retrospectively to search for factors of clinical significance. In six patients (0.6%), the VA formed a medial loop that caused compression of the proximal cervical root. One of these patients had the cervical radiculopathy that developed after minor trauma but the others did not present with cervical radiculopathy related to the medial loop of the VA. The medial loop of the VA might have a direct effect on cervical radiculopathy. Therefore, this feature should be of critical consideration in preoperative planning and during surgery.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- Clinically Relevant Anatomy of Recurrent Laryngeal NerveSpine, 2012
- Identification of Type 1Spine, 2010
- Cervical Radiculopathy Caused by Vertebral Artery Loop Formation : A Case Report and Review of the LiteratureJournal of Korean Neurosurgical Society, 2010
- Anatomical Variations of the Vertebral Artery Segment in the Lower Cervical SpineSpine, 2008
- Analysis of anatomical variations of bone and vascular structures around the posterior atlantal arch using three-dimensional computed tomography angiographyJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine, 2008
- Vertebral artery anomaly with entry at C4—avoiding a surgical pitfall: a case reportEuropean Spine Journal, 2008
- Anatomical Variations of the V2 Segment of the Vertebral ArteryOperative Neurosurgery, 2006
- The V2 segment of the vertebral artery and its branchesJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine, 2004
- Anterior Cervical Fusion Using Caspar Plating: Analysis of Results and Review of the LiteratureSurgical Neurology, 1998
- Tortuosity of the Vertebral Artery in Patients With Cervical Spondylotic MyelopathySpine, 1996