Lexington, VA
A 45-year-old female asked:
with vertebral artery dissection, are neurological symptoms always contralateral, or can they happen on the same side as the dissection?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Kornelis Poelstra answered
Orthopedic Spine Surgery 24 years experience
Vertebral artery: ...Dissection is a rare condition / trauma. Often there are just intimal tears (or disruptions on the inside layer of the vessel) and only seldomly is there a true dissection. Symptoms can vary greatly b/w patients, but contra-lateral symptoms are not common. It has to do with the bloodvessel ring at the base of the brain that typically connects the left-and-right sides together. U have more info?
4488 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Mark Fisher answered
Neurology 34 years experience
Not the DISSECTION: It's vascular occlusion from any cause, not just dissection, that does the damage. Here's why not always contralateral: 1. VAs unite to form the basilar artery so thrombi/emboli don't stay on just one side; 2. The brainstem contains some structures e.g. cranial nerves whose outflow doesn't cross & others that double-cross; 3. If the damage is caudal to the decussation of the pyramids (rare).
3653 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Aug 12, 2018
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