J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2013 Jun;48(3):246-250. 10.4055/jkoa.2013.48.3.246.

Intervertebral Foraminal Widening Caused by the Tortuous Cervical Vertebral Artery

• Min SH
• Yoon SH
• Lee JY

• KMID: 2106680
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.2013.48.3.246

Abstract

Tortuousity of the vertebral artery is clinically uncommon because it rarely causes symptoms. We described a patient with pain in the neck and both upper extremities in whom diagnosis of intervertebral foraminal widening and deformity of the vertebral artery were suggested by results of radiography and magnetic resonance. We confirmed the tortuous vertebral artery by results of computed tomography angiography. Correlation of the patient's symptoms and abnormalities was not clear; conservative treatment was administered.

Keyword

cervical spine; tortuous vertebral artery; computed tomography angiography

MeSH Terms

Angiography
Congenital Abnormalities
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Neck
Upper Extremity
Vertebral Artery

Figure

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  Figure 1 Plain radiographs of the cervical spine in the lateral (A) and oblique plane (B) show C4-7 intervertebral space narrowing, C3-4 intervertebral foraminal widening.

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  Figure 2 Sagittal (A) and coronal (B) T2 weighted magnetic resonance images show the left tortuous vertebral artery (arrows).

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  Figure 3 Sagittal (A) and coronal (B) reformatted images of 3 dimensional computed tomography angiography show the loop of the left vertebral artery in the widened C3-4 intervertebral foramen (arrows).

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  Figure 4 Tridimensional image of the left tortuous vertebral artery (arrow).

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