A case of effective decompression at the first segment of the vertebral artery for intractable vertigo
Igarashi, K.; Sohma, T.; Kuwahara, K.; Tutita, H.
No Shinkei Geka. Neurological Surgery 24(8): 759-763
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0301-2603 PMID: 8741413 Document Number: 456811
Atherosclerotic change is the main reason for vertebrobasilar insufficiency. However, if clinical symptoms such as vertigo happen transiently and repeatedly with head movement, vascular insufficiency due to mechanical compression of the vertebral artery must be kept in mind as its cause. The patient was a 54-year-old male complaining of recurrent vertigo which occurred during head rotation. He had been treated medically before he came to our hospital. Right compressed vertebral angiogram with head turned to the right and left compressed vertebral angiogram with head turned to the left were obtained at the first segment. Unilateral decompression of the vertebral artery was performed. At surgery it was found that the right vertebral artery was compressed by a stellate ganglion. After cutting of the sympathetic chains, the stellate ganglion was detached from the vertebral artery. The patient's intractable vertigo immediately disappeared after this procedure. It is concluded that if severe vertigo or dizziness is repeated under certain conditions, we must perform a bilateral vertebral angiogram and differentiate whether it is a case of decompression or not and then take measures to bring about decompression effectively.