strong>Vertebrobasilar Arterial Insufficiency Hypothesis (VBAI)/strong>

Vertebrobasilar circulatory disorders are disorders in which blood supply to the back of the brain is disrupted somehow. Cervical intervertebral subluxations may cause deflection or compression of the vertebral arteries, which thereby gives rise to altered cerebral blood supply.!–more–>

VBAI Syndrome may include symptoms and signs of:

Headache
nausea
dizziness
vomiting
nystagmus
ataxia
drop attacks
diplopia
numbness
dysphagia
dysarthria
suboccipital tenderness

C1 subluxation can cause constriction of the vertebral artery, whereas C2 and C3 subluxation can cause constriction of the vertebral artery following some rotational manipulation. This is where stroke can occur with rotatory moves.

Postmortem studies of patients who had a history of chronic headaches were found to have bony excavations of the foramen transversarii. This leads to the conclusion that subluxation is a common factor in the etiology of vertebrobasilar arterial insufficiency syndrome.

The Journal of Neurosurgery reported that vertebral artery insufficiency in acute and chronic spinal trauma was probably caused by atlantoaxial or atlantooccipital misalignment.

The mechanism proposed included a compromised vertebral artery in the CI foramen transversaria which inhibited the supply of blood to the Circle of Willis which then inhibits the supply of blood to the anterior spinal arteries causing anoxia of the spinal cord. This eventually will result in increased motor activity in the lower extremity relative to the upper and various sensory findings.

There is no age predilection to strokes, paralysis or death associated with cervical adjustments and or manipulations. There are no clear indicators of potential damage prior to manipulation/adjustment.

The most serious accidents associated with cervical adjustments/manipulations occur when a second thrust is given without paying attention to signs that followed.

Potential contraindications to adjusting would include DJD, DDD, osteophytes,and unilateral vertebral artery obstruction.

Potential risk factors for vertebrobasilar arterial insufficiency are:
Amaurosis fugax
Anticoagulants
Arteriosclerosis
Carotid bruits
Cervical spondylosis
Cigarette smoking
Contraceptives
Diabetes
Family history
Headaches
Hypertension
TIA
Sudden fainting
Rotational manipulation

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 8th, 2007 at 3:16 am and is filed under Research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Comments and pings are closed.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.