PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - J.-H. Bae
AU  - J.-C. Ryu
AU  - S.H. Ha
AU  - B.J. Kim
AU  - D.-W. Kang
AU  - S.U. Kwon
AU  - J.-S. Kim
AU  - J.Y. Chang
TI  - Association of Left Vertebral Artery Hypoplasia with Posterior Circulation Stroke and the Functional Outcome of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation–Related Cardioembolic Stroke
AID  - 10.3174/ajnr.A7738
DP  - 2023 Jan 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 65--69
VI  - 44
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/44/1/65.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/44/1/65.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.2023 Jan 01; 44
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A cardiogenic embolus could reach the posterior circulation through the right vertebral artery because of a relatively larger diameter in cases of left vertebral artery hypoplasia. Hence, we investigated whether left vertebral artery hypoplasia is associated with cardiac embolisms with atrial fibrillation in the posterior circulation and its functional outcomes.MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this monocentric retrospective study, patients with acute cardioembolic stroke with atrial fibrillation were enrolled and underwent CT or neck MRA, which visualized the aortic arch and subclavian arteries. The laterality and size of vertebral artery hypoplasia were recorded. Posterior circulation stroke, basilar artery occlusion, and the functional outcomes after 3 months were investigated.RESULTS: This study included 407 patients; the patients with left vertebral artery hypoplasia experienced a higher rate of posterior circulation stroke (19 versus 73; 42.2% versus 20.2%; P = .001) and basilar artery occlusion (5 versus 10; 11.1% versus 2.8%; P = .005) than the patients without left vertebral artery hypoplasia. Multivariate analysis revealed that left vertebral artery hypoplasia showed an association with lower odds of achieving a good functional outcome 3 months after the stroke (OR = 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2–0.9; P = .027).CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cardioembolic stroke and left vertebral artery hypoplasia had posterior circulation stroke, basilar artery occlusion, and poor functional outcomes after 3 months.PICAIposterior inferior cerebellar artery infarctionVAvertebral arteryVAHvertebral artery hypoplasia