| Objective To explore the correlation of abnormal vertebrobasilar artery with the clinical features of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in the elderly patients.Methods From Aug 2011 to Nov 2013, 110 elderly patients (above 65 years old) with BPPV ever hospitalized in our hospital were continuously enrolled as the study group. Among the elderly volunteers and their families without history of vertigo, 76 elderly cases above 65 years old were simultaneously enrolled as the control group. According to the results of blood vessel detection, the study group was further divided into the abnormal vertebral artery subgroup, the abnormal basilar artery subgroup and the normal vertebrobasilar artery subgroup. Such examinations as MRA were used to completely record the abnormalities of vertebrobasilar artery stenosis or occlusion, tortuosity and vertebral artery dominance in all patients, and then their vertigo grades were judged. The correlation of vertebrobasilar artery abnormalities with their vertigo grades was analyzed by Spearman method. Results The incidence rates of vertebral artery stenosis or occlusion, tortuosity and vertebral artery dominance, basilar artery stenosis or occlusion, tortuosity grade≥2, and other abnormalities, in the study group were all significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05), but the incidence rate of normal vertebrobasilar artery (3.30%) in the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group, with significant difference (P<0.001). The differences of vertigo grades and treatment response time among the abnormal vertebral artery subgroup, the abnormal basilar artery subgroup and the normal vertebrobasilar artery subgroup were statistically significant (all P<0.001). In the patients of study group, the vertebrobasilar artery abnormalities(vertebral artery dominance,vertebral artery tortuositas,vertebral artery occlusion) were positively correlated with their vertigo grades (r=0.537,r=0.608,r=0.618,all P<0.001). Conclusion Elderly BPPV patients may have a higher probability of vertebrobasilar artery abnormalities, and the vertebral artery dominance and tortuosity, with possibly combination of blood supply disorder in the posterior circulation, would change their vertigo grades and put off their recovery time. |
