Study of the patients with vertebral artery insufficiency syndrome by use of TCD before and after external counterpulsation and traction therapy

Objective To investigate the value of external counterpulsation and traction therapy on patients with vertebral artery insufficiency syndrome by use of transcranial Doppler (TCD). Methods Based on the criteria of clinical diagnosis, 86 patients with vertebral artery insufficiency syndrome and 60 healthy persons were examined by EME 4004 type TCD. The peak velocity (Vp) and mean velocity (Vm) of blood flow of the vertebral artery (VA) and basilar artery (BA) were detected and analyzed before and after rehabilitation treatment. Results The blood flow velocities of the vertebrobasilar artery (VBA) of the patient group were much lower than that of the control group ( P 0.01). The blood flow velocity decreased when rotating neck before treatment ( P 0.01) and had no significant difference after treatment ( P 0.05). Conclusion TCD examination while rotating neck could provide valuable information for the diagnosis and rehabilitation assessment of patients with vertebral artery insufficiency syndrome. External counterpulsation and traction therapy are effective in the treatment of the vertebral artery insufficiency syndrome.