Relationship between the vertebral artery dominance and basilar artery curvature and its influence on the incidence of cerebral infarction

Objective To investigate the relationship between vertebral artery dominance and basilar artery curvature and its influence on the incidence of acute cerebral infarction,which happened in the pons or posterior inferior cerebellar artery supply area.Methods 112 patients with acute cerebral infarction happened in the pons or posterior inferior cerebellar artery supply area were selected.The risk factor of severe basilar artery curvature by understanding the image data of cerebral infarction, bilateral vertebral artery and basilar artery were analyzed.Results The vertebral artery dominance in left was 77 cases (68.75%),while 35 cases were in right(31.25%).There were 59 cases with severe basilar artery curvature(52.68%). With the level of the vertebral artery diameter difference increase,the occurrence rate of hypertension and severe basilar artery curvature were significantly increased,and the right vertebral artery diameter was significantly smaller the differences were statistically significant(all P 0.05).The average age,proportion of primary hypertension and proportion of the vertebral artery diameter difference of level 3 in patients with severe bending in the basilar artery were significantly higher than the patients without severe bending basilar artery,while the proportion of vertebral artery diameter difference of level 1 was significantly lower than the patients without bending basilar artery(P 0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that independent risk factor for severe basilar artery curvature was the vertebral artery diameter difference(OR =2.79,95%CI 1.24～6.08,P =0.001).Conclusion Bilateral vertebral artery diameter difference was independent risk factor of severe basilar artery curvature.With the difference of vertebral artery diameter and basilar artery curvature increased,the risk of infarction in the pons and posterior inferior cerebellar artery was increased.