Vertebrobasilar insufficiency; Posterior circulation ischemia

Symptoms of strokes due to vertebrobasilar disorders may include:

• Bladder or bowel control problems
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty walking (unsteady gait)
• Double vision or vision loss
• Headache
• Hearing loss
• Muscle weakness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Neck ache
• Numbness or tingling most often on the face or scalp
• Pain in one or more parts of the body, which gets worse with touch and cold temperatures
• Poor coordination
• Sleepiness or even apparent sleep from which the person cannot be awakened
• Slurred speech
• Sudden, uncoordinated movements
• Sweating on the face, arms, or legs
• Vertigo (sensation of things spinning around)

Tests depend on the possible underlying cause, but may include:

• CT or MRI of the brain
• Computed tomography angiography (CTA), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), or ultrasound to look at blood vessels in the brain
• Blood tests, including blood clotting studies
• Echocardiogram
• Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Holter monitor
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) -- rarely needed
• X-rays of the arteries (angiogram)

Images

Vertebral column

Arteries of the brain

Review Date: 10/04/2010
Reviewed By: Daniel Kantor, MD, Medical Director of Neurologique, Ponte Vedra, FL and President of the Florida Society of Neurology (FSN). Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)