J Clin Neurol.  2012 Dec;8(4):259-264. 10.3988/jcn.2012.8.4.259.

A Quantitative Comparison of the Vertebral Artery and Transverse Foramen Using CT Angiography

• Kim C
• Lee SH
• Park SS
• Kim BJ
• Ryu WS
• Kim CK
• Oh MY
• Chung JW
• Yoon BW

• KMID: 2287576
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3988/jcn.2012.8.4.259

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The vertebral artery (VA) is important for the development of the transverse foramen (TF). Most studies of these structures have focused on anatomical anomalies. Therefore, we investigated quantitatively the association between the relative sizes of the TF and VA.
METHODS
We recruited a consecutive series of subjects who underwent CT angiography to estimate the relative sizes of the VA and TF in axial source images. Two neurologists independently reviewed the axial CT images of 208 patients who had no history of transient ischemic attack or stroke. Averaged areas of the VA and TF were defined by the sum of the areas at each level from C3 to C6, divided by 4. Correlation analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and vascular risk factors.
RESULTS
The mean age of the subjects was 53 years. The interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities of TF size were good. There was a linear relationship between the sizes of the VA and TF on each side (right side: r2=0.58, p<0.001; left side: r2=0.62, p<0.001). The area of the VA was significantly associated with that of the TF after adjusting for vascular risk factors.
CONCLUSIONS
The size of the VA is strongly and linearly correlated with the size of the TF. These findings suggest that measurement of the TF and VA with CT angiography is a reliable method for evaluating VA diseases, and may provide new insight into the differentiation between VA hypoplasia and atherosclerosis of the VA.

Keyword

vertebral artery; transverse foramen; CT angiography; hypoplasia

MeSH Terms

Angiography
Atherosclerosis
Humans
Ischemic Attack, Transient
Stroke
Vertebral Artery

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Measurements of the transverse foramen and vertebral artery. A: Axial source image of the cervical vertebrae. B: Schematic drawing of the transverse foramen (arrow) and the contrast-filled vertebral artery (curved arrow).

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  Fig. 2 Scatter plot showing the relationships between the areas of the vertebral artery and transverse foramen, and age (log-transformed). A positive relationship was observed between the areas of the vertebral artery and transverse foramen (A and B), but the association between the log-transformed age and the area of the transverse foramen was not significant (C and D; Pearson's correlation, significant at <0.05). Log age indicates values for log-transformed age.

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