Original Research Article
Year: 2020 | Month: May | Volume: 10 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 111-114
Anatomy of Vertebral Artery and Its Variations on Color Doppler Scans
Vaishali B Dhawan1, Bodhraj Dhawan2, Atul Tayade3
1Assistant Professor, Radiology, MGIMS, Sevagram
2Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology, NKPSIMS, Nagpur
3Professor, Radiology, MGIMS, Sevagram
Corresponding Author: Vaishali B Dhawan
ABSTRACT
Introduction- Vertebral artery is sonographically evaluated in terms of its Diameter, blood flow volume and other characteristics in cases of vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Anatomical variants in its origin and course are therefore important for a proper evaluation.
Aim And Methodology-This study aimed to study Sonoanatomy of Vertebral artery and its variations on Color Doppler Ultrasonography in Normal Healthy Individuals aged over 35 Years enrolled as Controls and subjects of the same age group with a Clinical Diagnosis of Cervical Spondylitis who were called Cases. This Observational Comparative study included 120 individuals ( 60 cases and 60 controls) , selected by Convenience sampling at a the Radiology Department of a Medical College in Central India.
Observations- Majority of individuals in both groups were in the age group 41-50 years, with the mean age 43 years. Anatomic origin of the vertebral artery from subclavian artery could sonographically be visualised more commonly on right side ( 81.6%) than left (60%) among the cases. Similar finding was observed in Controls as well. Visualisation of the Atlas Loop too was similarly common finding on the Right side across both the groups, with minimal difference which was statistically insignificant. In Majority of individuals, the vertebral artery was observed to enter the transverse foramen of C6 vertebral body. In 1 (1.2%) individual the vertebral artery was documented to have the entrance at C4 on the Right side and in another 1 (1.2%), it was documented entering through C4 on the Left side.In another 1 (1.2%) case, the level of entrance on the right was C5.
Conclusions- 1. Sonographic course and variations in the vertebral artery have no significant correlation with the condition of Cervical Spondylosis. 2. The Anatomical Visualisation of origin and Atlas loop is better on the Right side. 3. Anatomical variations in entry of the vertebral artery into the transverse foramen, though uncommon, are not rare.4. Sonography is an important tool in study of the anatomy and flow dynamics of the vertebral artery.
Key words: Color Doppler Ultrasonography, Vertebral Artery, Cervical Spondylosis, Subclavian Artery