Clinical findings of intracranial vertebral artery disease using magnetic resonance angiography

The vertebral artery lesion has a variety of clinical characteristics. We sought to clarify the clinical patterns and the location of the intracranial vertebral artery (ICVA) diseases according to analyses of images obtained using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). We studied vascular lesions, risk factors, symptoms, signs, and outcomes in 35 patients with ICVA disease (3 had bilateral occlusion; 9, unilateral occlusion; 6, bilateral stenosis; and 17, unilateral stenosis). The most common site of unilateral and bilateral lesions was the distal ICVA after the origin of posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). We found accompanying basilar artery disease in 28.6% of patients with unilateral and bilateral ICVA disease. The majority of the ICVA lesions were associated with internal carotid arteries disease (48.8%). The common vascular risk factors were hypertension (71%), diabetes mellitus (34%), hyperlipidemia (31%), smoking (29%), and coronary artery disease (23%). Eighteen patients (51.4%) had transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) only, 10 patients (28.6%) had TIAs before stroke, and 5 patients (14.3%) had strokes without TIAs. Most patients (80%) with TIAs, with or without stroke, had multiple episodes. Vertigo or dizziness, ataxia, limbs weakness and abnormal gait were the common symptoms and signs. At 6 months follow-up, 66.7% patients had no symptoms or only slight symptoms that caused no disability. Our data showed (1) the usual location of ICVA disease (occlusion or severe stenosis) was distal to PICA, especially near the vertebrobasilar junction; (2) the risk factors were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking, and coronary artery disease; (3) patients with ICVA disease had a high frequency of accompanying internal carotid, middle cerebral, or basilar artery disease; (4) vertigo or dizziness, and ataxia were the common symptoms and signs; (5) TIA was the most common clinical pattern; (6) the outcome was favorable, except in cases with bilateral ICVA occlusion.     

The intracranial vertebral artery: a neglected species. The Johann jacob wepfer award 2012

Among posterior circulation arteries, the intracranial vertebral artery (ICVA) has been given the least attention, especially concerning treatment of occlusive lesions. Early clinicopathological studies showed that the ICVA was often occluded in patients with lateral medullary and posterior inferior cerebellar infarcts. Severe stenosis or occlusion of the ICVA was the most common arterial lesion among the 408 patients in the New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Registry (NEMC-PCR). In this registry, the distal portion of the artery was most often involved, sometimes with spread into the basilar artery. ICVA occlusive lesions were often bilateral and very often accompanied by basilar and cervical vertebral artery occlusive lesions. Patients with bilateral ICVA occlusions often had attacks of dizziness, blurred vision, and ataxia during months and years but rarely later developed disabling infarction. Most posterior circulation infarcts in patients with ICVA occlusive lesions were located in the middle and distal posterior circulation territories and were rostral to the medulla and inferior cerebellum. Although diagnostic techniques now image the ICVA and its lesions well, the optimal treatment of patients with various ICVA occlusive lesions has very rarely been analyzed or reported. The therapeutics of patients with ICVA disease is uncharted territory and begs for attention and clarification.     

New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Stroke Registry II. Vascular Lesions

Among 407 New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Registry (NEMC-PCR) patients, the extracranial (ECVA) and intracranial vertebral arteries (ICVA) were the commonest sites of severe occlusive disease followed by the basilar artery (BA). Severe occlusive lesions were found in >1 large artery in 148 patients; 134 had unilateral or bilateral severe disease at one arterial location. Single arterial site occlusive disease occurred most often in the ECVA (52 patients, 15 bilateral) followed by the ICVA (40 patients, 12 bilateral) and the BA (46 patients). Involvement of the ICVAs and the BA was very common and some patients also had ECVA lesions. Hypertension, smoking, and coronary and peripheral vascular disease were most prevalent in patients with extracranial disease while diabetes and hyperlipidemia were more common when occlusive lesions were only intracranial. Intra-arterial embolism was the most common mechanism of brain infarction in patients with ECVA and ICVA occlusive disease. ICVA occlusive lesions infrequently caused infarction limited to the proximal territory (medulla and posterior inferior cerebellum). BA lesions most often caused infarcts limited to the middle posterior circulation territory (pons and anterior inferior cerebellum). Posterior cerebral artery occlusive lesions were predominantly embolic. Penetrating artery disease caused mostly pontine and thalamic infarcts. Prognosis was poorest in patients with BA disease. The best prognosis surprisingly was in patients who had multiple arterial occlusive lesions; they often had position-sensitive transient ischemic attacks during months or years.     

New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation registry

Among 407 New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation registry patients, 59% had strokes without transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), 24% had TIAs then strokes, and 16% had only TIAs. Embolism was the commonest stroke mechanism (40% of patients including 24% cardiac origin, 14% intraarterial, 2% cardiac and arterial sources). In 32% large artery occlusive lesions caused hemodynamic brain ischemia. Infarcts most often included the distal posterior circulation territory (rostral brainstem, superior cerebellum and occipital and temporal lobes); the proximal (medulla and posterior inferior cerebellum) and middle (pons and anterior inferior cerebellum) territories were equally involved. Severe occlusive lesions (>50% stenosis) involved more than one large artery in 148 patients; 134 had one artery site involved unilaterally or bilaterally. The commonest occlusive sites were: extracranial vertebral artery (52 patients, 15 bilateral) intracranial vertebral artery (40 patients, 12 bilateral), basilar artery (46 patients). Intraarterial embolism was the commonest mechanism of brain infarction in patients with vertebral artery occlusive disease. Thirty-day mortality was 3.6%. Embolic mechanism, distal territory location, and basilar artery occlusive disease carried the poorest prognosis. The best outcome was in patients who had multiple arterial occlusive sites; they had position-sensitive TIAs during months to years.     

Racial differences in the distribution of posterior circulation occlusive disease

We compared clinical and arteriographic features in 27 white and 24 black patients with symptomatic posterior circulation occlusive disease. The degree of arterial stenosis was measured independently by two examiners at 12 sites within the vertebrobasilar territory. Racial comparisons were made based upon the distribution of extra- and intracranial occlusive lesions and symptomatic sites of the lesions. White patients had significantly more angina pectoris, more lesions of the origin of the left vertebral artery and more high grade lesions of the extracranial vertebral arteries. Black patients had significantly higher mean diastolic blood pressure, more diabetes mellitus, more lesions of the distal basilar artery, more high grade lesions of intracranial branch vessels and more symptomatic intracranial branch disease. Race was found to be the only factor increasing the risk of intracranial posterior circulation occlusive disease. Knowledge of the contribution of race to the distribution of posterior circulation lesions will help guide evaluation and treatment strategies for patients with vertebrobasilar occlusive disease.     

The role of vertebral and internal carotid artery disease in the pathogenesis of vertebrobasilar transient ischemic attacks

Summary Color-coded duplex sonography has improved the evaluation of the hemodynamics of the vertebral arteries (VA). A reliable differentiation between a normal vessel, hypoplasia, stenosis and occlusion of VA can now be made. We studied two groups of patients in a prospective study with isolated carotid artery disease (n=48), and with a combination of carotid and vertebral artery disease (n=14), to determine the role of VA in the pathogenesis of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) in the vertebrobasilar system. Apart from the existing arteriosclerotic changes of the internal carotid arteries, the condition of the VA was of importance for the occurrence of TIAs in the vertebrobasilar territory. We found that 8% of the patients with isolated hemodynamically relevant stenosis or occlusion of one or both internal carotid arteries had a TIA in the vertebrobasilar territory. Patients with combined carotid and vertebral artery disease had an increase of TIAs in the same region in 71%. The high rate of TIAs in this group might be attributed to the combined effect of carotid and vertebral artery disease, as a third group (n=30) with isolated vertebral artery disease showed TIAs in only 13%.     

Stenosis and occlusion of the subclavian artery: ultrasonographic and clinical findings

Summary Continuous-wave (CW) Doppler sonography has proved to be a reliable tool both to detect subclavian stenosis or occulusion and to detect reversal of blood flow in the vertebral artery. This method is entirely atraumatic and in contrast to angiography allows investigation of asymptomatic patients and provides more representative data for epidemiological studies. The incidence of subclavian stenosis or occlusion was 1.15% among the 23,500 patients examined in our department between 1978 and 1985. Of the 272 patients with unilateral or bilateral subclavian stenosis or occlusion, 54% were asymptomatic with no subjective complaints and were normal upon neurological examination; 29% reported vertebrobasilar transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs), with or without concomitant TIAs or infarction in the vascular territory of the carotid arteries; and 17% complained of symptoms exclusively referring to the region of carotid blood supply. Reversal of blood flow in the ipsilateral vertebral artery was detected in 152 patients (56%). The incidence of neurological symptoms within this group was double that found in patients without steal. None of the patients suffered from permanent vertebrobasilar damage. In most cases, subclavian artery disease was due to atherosclerosis. For 13 patients an inflammatory, iatrogenic, traumatic, or congenital aetiology could be assumed. The marked preponderance of left-sided subclavian stenosis or occlusion, reported by others, could be confirmed among our patients, but was less pronounced for tight stenoses than for occlusions. Mild-to-moderate subclavian stenoses were about equally distributed on each side.     

The subclavian steal phenomenon: a common vascular disorder with rare neurologic deficits

Three hundred twenty-four patients with reversed vertebral artery blood flow were reviewed for cerebrovascular events. Neither the presence nor the type of vertebral artery steal (permanent, n = 204; intermediate, n = 120) determined neurologic symptoms, which rather were related to coincidental carotid obstructions or abnormal flow velocity patterns in the basilar artery. Most patients (n = 209; 64%) had no neurologic symptoms. Hemispheric events (n = 99; 31%) occurred most frequently in patients with additional carotid lesions and nonhemispheric events in a few patients (n = 16; 5%) often with bilateral vertebral steal. Intracranial Doppler studies from the vertebral and basilar arteries excluded spontaneous retrograde basilar artery perfusion in any of a subgroup of 50 patients examined in addition. Thus, blood flow reversal in extracranial arteries is a marker for atherosclerotic vascular disease in general, rather than an indicator of a patient's risk to develop cerebrovascular events from hemodynamic insufficiency in the territory affected. Surgical treatment is discouraged for most patients with this benign flow abnormality.     

加强对后循环缺血性卒中/短暂性脑缺血发作的认识

后循环缺血性卒中（posterior circulation stroke,PCS）/短暂性脑缺血发作（transient ischemic attack,TIA）占全部卒中及TIA的1/5,其临床表现按血管分布可呈现不同的症状,以头晕最常 见。50%以上椎-基底动脉梗死患者在几天或几周前会出现TIA症状,这些先兆症状可辅助早期识别 PCS。PCS的复发率高于前循环,尤其是伴椎-基底动脉狭窄的患者,可通过完善计算机断层扫描血管 成像（computed tomography angiography,CTA）、磁共振血管成像（magnetic resonance angiography,MRA） 等辅助检查明确血管狭窄程度。另外,对侧支循环建立充分的后循环重度狭窄或闭塞,其神经功能 缺损程度较轻,且预后更好。     

小脑梗死的分型与后循环血管病变

目的 研究有无大血管病变患者小脑梗死灶的特征,探讨小脑梗死分型与后循环血管病变的关系。 方法 收集我科自2006年1月～2008年3月期间住院的小脑梗死患者共35例,所有患者均同时具备颅脑磁共振成像（magnetic resonance imaging,MRI）和血管造影检查,包括计算机断层摄影血管造影（computed tomographic angiography,CTA）、磁共振血管造影（magnetic resonance angiography,MRA）和数字减影血管造影（digital subtraction angiography,DSA）检查。根据血管造影检查的结果将入组患者分为两组：大血管病变组20例,小血管病变组15例,分析两组小脑梗死的分型和后循环血管病变（包括狭窄或闭塞）的关系。 结果 ⑴大血管病变组20例中,颅内血管（椎动脉颅内段或基底动脉）病变最多见（10例,50%）,梗死类型多为分水岭梗死（7例,70%）;其次为颅外血管合并颅内血管（椎动脉颅外段合并颅内段或基底动脉）病变（8例,40%）,梗死灶多为小脑后下动脉（PICA）供血区的区域性梗死（7例,87.5%）;单独颅外血管（椎动脉颅外段）病变最少见（2例,10%）,梗死分布无明显倾向性。⑵小血管病变组15例中,梗死灶亦多位于分水岭区（9例,60%）。 结论 由于小脑血液供应特点,小脑梗死中分水岭梗死和腔隙性梗死较区域性梗死更为常见。小梗死灶（直径≤2cm）可能存在后循环大血管的狭窄或闭塞,应予积极的治疗和干预,以防病情加重。     

Dissection of the Extracranial Vertebral Artery: Clinical Findings and Early Noninvasive Diagnosis in 24 Patients

Dissection of cervical arteries causes ischemic stroke in young adults. This reports the clinical, ultrasonographic, and neuroradiological findings in 24 patients with 28 vertebral artery dissections in the neck (4 occurring bilaterally). In 20 patients (83%), the dissection was temporally related to trauma. No patients had an underlying vascular disease, for example, atherosclerosis or fibromuscular dysplasia. In all, the major initial manifestation was pain in the occipital or neck region. The next most common symptoms were vertigo and nausea (in 17 patients). Clinical manifestations were vertebrobasilar transient ischemic attack (TIA) (5 patients: in 2 patients vestibulocerebellar TIA, in 1 patient visual TIA, in 1 patient motor TIA, and in 1 patient brain stem TIA with perioral paresthesia), cerebellar infarction (10 patients, in 4 patients bilateral), brainstem infarction (5 patients), posterior cerebral artery territory infarction (1 patient), and multiple vertebrobasilar ischemic lesions (3 patients). Typical angiographic findings were irregular narrowing of the vessel lumen or a tapering stenosis with distal occlusion. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a thickened vessel wall with hematoma signal at the site of the dissection. Duplex color-flow imaging was valuable for the early diagnosis of extracranial vertebral artery dissection and for follow-up examinations. The distal V1- and the proximal V2-segment (at the level of C6 vertebra) was the most frequent localization of dissections (in 43%). The outcome was favorable except for 2 patients with basilar artery occlusion. Embolism to the basilar artery may be avoided by early administration of anticoagulants.     

Basilar artery stenosis: middle and distal segments

We report the clinical features and prognosis in nine patients with angiographically documented basilar artery stenosis of the middle and distal segments. Six patients had transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), and in two this was their only clinical manifestation. The TIAs in four patients included two or more of the following symptoms: dizziness, diplopia, perioral numbness, dysphagia, weakness, or loss of consciousness. Two other patients had isolated symptoms of transient dizziness and unilateral weakness. Seven patients had posterior circulation strokes, preceded by TIAs in four. Basilar artery occlusive disease can affect any segment of the artery. The short-term prognosis of middle and distal basilar artery stenosis was good especially when patients were treated with warfarin or platelet antiaggregants.     

双侧椎动脉/基底动脉重度狭窄或闭塞的急性后循环梗死患者临床特点及预后分析

目的总结分析双侧椎动脉/基底动脉重度狭窄或闭塞的急性后循环梗死患者的临床特点和预后。方法收集急性后循环梗死且伴有双侧椎动脉/基底动脉重度狭窄或闭塞的住院患者资料,分析其血管危险因素、起始症状、治疗及病情演变情况,并随访90 d预后,以mRS2分定义为预后不良。结果共纳入28例患者,最常见的起始症状为孤立性头晕或眩晕(57.1%)。53.6%的患者出现病情加重,加重≥2次9例(32.1%),预后不良15例(53.6%)。预后不良组高血压3级、病情加重、加重≥2次比例明显高于预后良好组(P0.05)。病情加重≥2次组高血压3级、高脂血症、孤立性头晕或眩晕起病、预后不良和死亡比例明显高于加重2次组(P0.05)。基底动脉不显影组死亡率(75%)明显高于显影组(4.2%)(P0.05)。结论双侧椎动脉/基底动脉重度狭窄或闭塞的急性后循环梗死患者多以孤立性头晕或眩晕起病;孤立性头晕或眩晕起病和高血压3级患者病情容易加重;病情反复加重患者预后不良比例高,死亡率高;基底动脉不显影患者死亡率高。     

Clinical features of proven basilar artery occlusion

Our study describes the early symptoms and signs of 85 patients with either basilar artery occlusion or bilateral distal vertebral artery occlusion documented by selective angiography. The most common prodromal symptoms were vertigo, nausea, and headache, which occurred during the 2 weeks before the stroke. Angiographic findings of 49 patients were classified into proximal, middle, and distal basilar artery occlusions. Twenty-two of these patients had additional vertebral artery lesions. A fourth group was composed of 36 patients with bilateral distal vertebral artery occlusion without opacification of the basilar artery through a vertebral artery injection. Onset was sudden in 20 patients; sudden, but preceded by prodromal symptoms in 11 patients; and progressive in 54 patients. Patients with progressive strokes often had bilateral vertebral artery occlusions. Most patients with acute onset had occlusion of the middle and distal basilar artery. An embolic origin of basilar artery occlusion from an arteriosclerotic vertebral artery lesion was assumed to be an important mechanism. An embolus reaching the basilar artery may not necessarily reach the top of the artery, but may also become lodged more proximally.     

Atherothrombotic cerebellar infarction: vascular lesion-MRI correlation of 31 cases.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Correlation of MRI findings with atherosclerotic vascular lesions has rarely been attempted in patients with cerebellar infarction. The aim of this study was to correlate the MRI lesions with the vascular lesions seen on conventional cerebral angiography in cerebellar infarction. METHODS: The subjects included 31 patients with cerebellar infarcts who underwent both MRI and conventional cerebral angiography. We analyzed the risk factors, clinical findings, imaging study, and angiography results. We attempted to correlate MRI lesions with the vascular lesions shown in the angiograms. RESULTS: The vascular lesions seen on angiograms were subdivided into 3 groups: large-artery disease (n=22), in situ branch artery disease (n=6), and no angiographic disease with hypertension (n=3). The proximal segment (V1) lesions of vertebral artery were the most common angiographic features in patients with large-artery disease in which stroke most commonly involved the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) cerebellum. The V1 lesions with coexistent occlusive lesions of the intracranial vertebral and basilar arteries were correlated with cerebellar infarcts, which had no predilection for certain cerebellar territory. The intracranial occlusive disease without V1 lesion was usually correlated with small cerebellar lesions in PICA and superior cerebellar artery (SCA) cerebellum. The subclavian artery or brachiocephalic trunk lesion was associated with small cerebellar infarcts. The in situ branch artery disease was correlated with the PICA cerebellum lesions, which were territorial or nonterritorial infarct. No angiographic disease with hypertension was associated with small-sized cerebellar infarcts within the SCA, anterior inferior cerebellar artery, or SCA cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the topographic heterogeneity of cerebellar infarcts are correlated with diverse angiographic findings. The result that large-artery disease, in which nonterritorial infarcts are more common than territorial infarcts, is more prevalent than in situ branch artery disease or small-artery disease, suggest that even a small cerebellar infarct can be a clue to the presence of large-artery disease.     

Bilateral occlusion of vertebral artery: clinical patterns and long-term prognosis

We studied 17 patients with atherosclerotic bilateral occlusion of vertebral arteries (VA) identified by angiography. Seven had vertebrobasilar TIAs, eight a brainstem stroke (severe in two), and two had only carotid symptoms. Brainstem strokes were more frequent with bilateral intracranial occlusion (60%) than with at least one extracranial occlusion (28.6%), but long-term prognosis did not differ in these two groups. In follow-up, the mortality rate was 4.5% per year, and the stroke rate was 1.8% per year. Major functional disability was seen in 16.7% of the survivors. Bilateral distal VA occlusion may sometimes have a better prognosis than previously assumed. These findings raise doubts about the value of extra-intracranial surgical bypass procedures in patients with these lesions.     

New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Stroke Registry: I. Methods, Data Base, Distribution of Brain Lesions, Stroke Mechanisms, and Outcomes

Among 407 New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Registry (NEMC-PCR) patients, 59% had strokes without transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), 24% had TIAs before strokes, and 16% had only posterior circulation TIAs. Embolism was the commonest stroke mechanism accounting for 40% of cases (24% cardiac origin, 14% arterial origin, 2% had potential cardiac and arterial sources). In 32%, large artery occlusive lesions caused hemodynamic brain infarction. Stroke mechanisms in the posterior and anterior circulation are very similar. Infarcts most often included the distal posterior circulation territory (rostral brainstem, superior cerebellum and occipital and temporal lobes), while the proximal (medulla and posterior inferior cerebellum) and middle (pons and anterior inferior cerebellum) territories were equally involved. Infarcts that included the distal territory were twice as common as those that included the proximal or middle territories. Most distal territory infarcts were attributable to embolism. Thirty day mortality was low (3.6%). Embolic stroke mechanism, distal territory location, and basilar artery occlusive disease conveyed the worst prognosis.     

Poor outcome after lateral medullary infarcts

In two patients, lateral medullary infarcts were followed by repeated brainstem ischemia. One patient had posturally sensitive vertebrobasilar TIAs, and the other had TIAs followed by quadriparesis. Both had angiographic evidence of intracranial vertebral artery occlusion on one side and severe stenosis of the contralateral vertebral artery. Propagation or embolization of clot from the occluded vertebral artery or decreased blood flow caused by stenosis of the contralateral vertebral artery can cause a bad outcome.     

症状性椎-基底动脉闭塞非急性期介入开通治疗分析

目的 探讨椎-基底动脉闭塞非急性期介入再通治疗的安全性及有效性,并比较椎动脉闭塞与基底动脉闭塞的预后。方法 回顾性分析2013年2月到2017年9月介入再通治疗的100例椎-基底动脉闭塞的临床资料,其中单纯椎动脉闭塞56例（椎动脉组）,椎动脉合并基底动脉闭塞44例（基底动脉组）。结果 100例中,96例实现血管再通。围手术期发生并发症13例。术后30 d内死亡7例,术后5个月死亡1例,术后10个月死亡1例。术后6个月改良Rankin量表（mRS）评分[（2.24±1.16）分]、术后12个月mRS评分[（2.07±1.23）分]较术前[（3.98±0.89）分]均明显降低（P<0.05）。椎动脉组和基底动脉组再通率、围手术期并发症发生率、病情恶化率及出院时mRS评分均没有统计差异（P>0.05）。基底动脉组病死率（18.18%,8/44）明显高于椎动脉组（1.79%,1/56;P<0.05）。两组术后6个月mRS评分较术前均明显降低（P<0.05）,而且,椎动脉组明显低于基底动脉组（P<0.05）。结论 症状性椎-基动脉闭塞非急性期介入再通治疗的再通率高,可改善长期预后;与单纯椎动脉闭塞相比,椎动脉合并基底动脉闭塞开通治疗效果较差。     

大脑后动脉区梗死与后循环血管状态及危险因素关系

目的探讨大脑后动脉区梗死与后循环血管状态及危险因素的关系。方法回顾性收集2010年1月-2014年6月在首都医科大学宣武医院神经内科住院的经头部MRI证实的首次新发大脑后动脉区梗死的患者192例,其中171例行CT血管成像,21例行DSA,排除有可疑心源性栓子来源的患者。根据头部MRI将梗死部位分为A(中脑组)、B(丘脑组)、C(颞叶内侧组)、D(胼胝体压部组)、E(枕叶组)、F(多部位梗死组)6组。比较PCA区梗死与后循环血管状态及危险因素的关系。结果 (1)PCA区梗死病变分布:192例患者中A、B、C、D、E、F组分别为12例(6.3%)、74例(38.5%)、15例(7.8%)、11例(5.7%)、28例(14.6%)、52例(27.1%)。(2)椎-基底动脉系统血管状态:椎动脉病变66例(34.4%)合并大脑后动脉狭窄13例,基底动脉病变27例(14.1%)合并大脑后动脉狭窄2例,大脑后动脉病变45例(23.4%),未发现血管病变69例(35.9%)。(3)对PCA区梗死病变分布与后循环血管病变行单因素卡方检验:B组与基底动脉病变相关(χ~2=5.318,P=0.021);E组与PCA P4段病变相关(χ~2=18.556,P0.001);F组与椎动脉、基底动脉病变相关(χ~2=4.386,7.059;P=0.036,0.008)。(4)血管病变组与无血管病变组比较:合并高血压病差异有统计学意义(11.126,P=0.001)。结论大脑后动脉区梗死与后循环血管病变关系密切,尤其合并导致血管病变的危险因素时,更应重视血管检查,减少卒中再发。