What is tortuous vertebrobasilar system?

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.

What is Ectatic vertebral artery?

Vertebral artery ectasia refers to an abnormal dilatation of the vertebral artery. It is also known as a dolichoarterial loop (of Danziger).

What does Dolichoectatic mean?

The term dolichoectasia means dilated and elongated. It is used to characterize arteries that have shown a significant deterioration of their tunica intima (and occasionally the tunica media), weakening the vessel walls and causing the artery to elongate and distend.

Is dolichoectasia hereditary?

In rare instances, an underlying hereditary condition, connective tissue disorder, or infection predispose to the development of IADE. However, most cases are sporadic and associated with traditional vascular risk factors including advanced age, male gender, and arterial hypertension.

What causes Vertebrobasilar 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 is a basilar aneurysm?

Basilar trunk artery aneurysms are extremely rare lesions that account for only 2.1% of all intracranial aneurysms. They are mostly recognized in patients around the age of 60, show a slight male predominance, and are associated with high morbidity and mortality.

What causes Dolichoectasia?

Is ectasia same as aneurysm?

The term ectasia is reserved to mean a diffuse dilatation of a coronary artery, and an aneurysm is a focal dilatation of the vessel (1).

How do you test for vertebrobasilar insufficiency?

The vertebral artery test (VAT) is used in physiotherapy to test the vertebral artery blood flow to the brain, searching for symptoms of vertebral artery insufficiency and disease.

What do you need to know about vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia ( VBD )?

Introduction. Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is a condition characterized by ectasia, elongation and tortuosity of the basilar artery. It may manifest clinically by compression of the cranial nerves, ischemic symptoms or intracranial bleeding. Rarely, the dilated and ecstatic basilar trunk may manifest as obstructive hydrocephalus.

When is the vertebrobasilar system considered to be elongated?

The vertebrobasilar system may be considered elongated if the basilar artery lies lateral to the margin of the clivus or dorsum sellae, or if it bifurcates above the plane of the suprasellar cistern.[2] The etiology of VBD is not clear.

Is the basilar artery part of the vertebral system?

The two vertebral arteries and the basilar artery are sometimes together called the vertebrobasilar system, which supplies blood to the posterior part of the circle of Willis and joins with blood supplied to the anterior part of the circle of Willis from the internal carotid arteries .

What does it mean to have vertebrobasilar insufficiency?

What is vertebrobasilar insufficiency? Vertebrobasilar insufficiency is a condition characterized by poor blood flow to the posterior (back) portion of the brain, which is fed by two vertebral arteries that join to become the basilar artery.