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CC BY 4.0 · Indian Journal of Neurosurgery 2025; 14(01): 084-087
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1769899
Brief Report

Vascular Compression of Medulla Oblongata by Non-Dolichoectatic Vertebral Artery

V. Nitheesha Reddy
1   Department of Radio-Diagnosis, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India
,
K. Nagarajan 
1   Department of Radio-Diagnosis, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India
,
V. Midhusha Reddy 
1   Department of Radio-Diagnosis, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India
,
A.S. Ramesh
2   Department of Neurosurgery, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India
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Abstract

Neurovascular conflicts are common in the posterior fossa and basal cisterns due to coexistence of important neural and vascular structures. Neurovascular conflict arising from compression of the cranial nerves by pulsatile flow in the adjacent atherosclerotic arteries is well known and is associated with conditions like trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, and glossopharyngeal neuralgia. The medulla is known to be affected by dilated tortuous (dolichoectatic) vertebrobasilar arteries in the elderly or hypertensive. The vertebral artery causing the compression can be dolichoectatic or normal dominant vertebral artery or an elongated tortuous artery. Very few cases of medullary compression by non-dolichoectatic elongated tortuous or dominant vertebral artery were reported in the literature. In this article, we report three cases of medullary compression by the dominant and angulated vertebral artery. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with MR angiography showed indentation of the anterolateral aspect of the inferior medulla by the vertebral artery. The patients are managed conservatively and on regular follow-up.

Keywords

vertebral artery - medulla oblongata - magnetic resonance angiography


Publication History

Article published online:
01 June 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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