Morphometry and Geometry of the Formation of Basilar Artery

Abstract

The morphometric studies on pathological changes observed in vertebral and basilar arteries are valuable in the diagnosis of many pathological disorders. The purpose of this study was to detect the morphometry and geometry of the intracranial part of vertebral and basilar arteries according to age, sex, and dominance parameters in huge series to contribute to the literature. In the study, the morphometric analysis was performed on 250 healthy patients (133 males, 117 females) by using Computed Tomography (CT) angiography. In 86 cases (34.4%) (47 males, 39 females), the basilar artery coursed straight to the right side. One hundred forty-five patients (58%) had left vertebral artery dominance. The diameters of the vessels were higher in males than in females, and there was no relationship between this finding and age. The diameter of the basilar artery at the vertebrobasilar junction was statistically significantly higher than its diameter in the terminal part of the pons. By the aid of vertical axis drawn from the formation point of basilar artery by the union of vertebral arteries, the angles of the right and left vertebral arteries were examined separately. These data will penlight future studies. This is the first study in measuring the angle of basilar artery along its course. The aim this study was to determine the changes that might occur in this angle due to the aging. To our knowledge there is no study examining the morphometry and geometry of the vertebral and basilar arteries together with these detailed parameters separately in the literature.