Investigation of the Relationship Between Cervical Vertebral Column Degeneration and Posterior Circulation Perfusion Area Ischemia

Year 2024, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 266 - 273, 16.05.2024

Süheyl Poçan , Levent Karakaş

https://doi.org/10.37990/medr.1444649

Abstract

Aim: The primary objective of this study was to establish whether degeneration of the cervical vertebrae and paravertebral structures serves as a predisposing factor for ischemic processes by disrupting hemodynamics in the posterior system through mechanical effects on the vertebral arteries.
Material and Method: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 180 patients who underwent various imaging tests between January 2017 and October 2023. These tests included cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cervical computed tomography (CT), carotid-vertebral neck CT angiography (CTA), cranial CT, and cranial MRI. Of the 180 patients, 90 had mild degeneration or no significant degeneration, with a mean age of 58 years, and 90 had significant cervical spondylosis (CS) with a mean age of 64 years. The radiological findings were statistically analyzed, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: There was no significant difference between age and parenchymal density in the control group (p=0.09). There was no statistically significant difference between the age and parenchymal density in the CS group (p=0.07). As CS became more severe, there was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of atrophic enlargement of the cerebellar folia and loss of density in the posterior fossa (p=0.03) and posterior circulation infarcts (POCI) (p=0.04).
Conclusion: When severe, CS can adversely affect vascular hemodynamics in the posterior system, predisposing perfused neural parenchyma to ischemia.

Keywords

Paravertebral structures, posterior circulation, vertebrae degeneration, vertebral artery

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