Abstract

Objectives: The origin of the extracranial vertebral artery (V1 segment) is a common site for large artery atherosclerosis (LAA). The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors, prevalence and prognosis of the patients presented with acute ischemic stroke due to vertebrobasilar atherosclerosis and additional V1 stenosis.

Materials and Methods: We reviewed the charts of 957 patients who were admitted with acute ischemic stroke between the dates January 2011 and May 2017, and selected cases with stroke related to posterior circulation (PC) atherosclerosis. The demographic data, risk factors, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores at admission, and modified Rankin scores (mRS) in the follow-up period were recorded.

Results: There were 80 (8.36%) patients with acute ischemic stroke in the PC due to LAA. Thirty (37.5%) patients [9 females (30%), mean age 67.4±14.3 years] had V1 stenosis. No between group differences in the history of vascular risk factors and mRS scores during the follow-up period were observed (p>0.05). In logistic regression analysis, the admission NIHSS score was higher in patients with V1 stenosis than others (p=0.022).

Conclusion: In our registry, more than one third of patients with acute PC stroke due to LAA had stenosis in the origin of the vertebral artery. The patients with coexisting V1 stenosis presented with relatively severe stroke.