Overview
This disease is common in middle-aged and elderly people. Since the cerebellum and brainstem depend on the vertebrobasilar artery for blood supply, symptoms such as vertigo often occur when the vertebrobasilar artery is not sufficiently supplied with blood.
Causes
The vertebral arteries originate from the subclavian arteries on both sides, rise in the transverse foramen of the 6th to 1st cervical vertebrae, enter the skull through the foramen magnum of the occipital bone, and then converge at the lower edge of the pontine bridge to form the basilar arteries, which then divide into the posterior cerebral arteries of the left and right sides at the midbrain. The basilar artery has many intracranial branches, and its blood supply area includes the cerebral nerves in the brainstem, the upward and downward conduction tracts, the auditory vestibular organs, the temporal lobe, the occipital lobe, and the thalamus, etc. When the blood supply is insufficient, complications arise. When the blood supply is insufficient, complex clinical symptoms appear, and they vary depending on the site of damage, the degree of damage, and the condition of the collateral circulation. The causes are mostly cervical spondylosis, cerebral atherosclerosis, hypotension, cerebral arteritis, distortion of the large blood vessels in the neck, heart disease, vascular malformations, hypercoagulable state of the blood, and subclavian artery steal syndrome.
Problems you may be concerned about
Can insufficient blood supply to vertebral basilar artery cause hand tremor?
Insufficient blood supply to the vertebral basilar artery generally does not cause hand tremor, and the symptom of hand tremor is commonly seen in extrapyramidal lesions.
Hand tremor is a movement disorder, usually caused by extrapyramidal injury, mainly due to abnormal changes in the basal ganglia nuclei of the brain, including the caudate nucleus, the nucleus accumbens, the pallidum, the thalamus, the substantia nigra and the nucleus accumbens, and the above parts of the lesion will cause hand tremor symptoms.
Insufficient blood supply to the vertebrobasilar artery mainly affects the cerebellum and brainstem, so it usually does not cause symptoms of hand tremor, but may appear dizziness, ataxia and other discomforts.
When the patient has symptoms of hand tremor, it is recommended to seek medical treatment as soon as possible, and further examination under the guidance of the doctor to clarify the specific cause of the disease, so as to avoid delaying the condition.
Symptoms
Dizziness, nausea and vomiting, unsteady walking, or blurred vision, diplopia, monocular and binocular ipsilateral visual field defects, or unfavorable speech, fainting or falling, numbness of the face and limbs, and sensory abnormalities may occur.
Examination
1. Cervical spine X-ray
Cervical spine X-rays should be taken in the orthopedic, lateral, oblique and hyperextension positions to determine whether there are any abnormalities such as cervical spine osteophytes, intervertebral space stenosis, cervical disc herniation, and so on.
2. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD)
According to its spectral image, average blood flow velocity (vm) and beat index, etc., it can detect vertebral artery and basilar artery from the occipital window, which can clearly determine the hemodynamic condition of vertebral basilar artery and its main branches, and speculate whether there is stenosis or spasm in the lumen, so as to provide supportive evidence for the diagnosis of insufficient blood supply of vertebral basilar artery.
3. Brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP)
Brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) is of definite value in the diagnosis of insufficient blood supply to the vertebrobasilar artery.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis can be made on the basis of etiology, clinical manifestations and laboratory tests.
Treatment
1. Treatment of acute attacks
Acute attacks are often characterized by severe dizziness, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, unsteadiness, etc. Symptomatic treatment should be given as soon as possible to stop dizziness, and generally comprehensive measures are taken, with intramuscular or intravenous injection of drugs as the mainstay, and reduction of oral medications.
2. Improve cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, and regulate cerebral metabolic function.
In addition to the application of blood-thinning therapy, cerebral vasodilators, calcium channel antagonists, ginkgo biloba preparations, antiplatelet aggregation drugs and other treatments, can also be used to activate brain cells, such as piracetam (cerebral fukang), piracetam (cerebral fuksin), γ-ammonium tyrosine, hydroxyergot alkaloid preparations. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used, which is effective in relieving insufficient blood supply to the vertebrobasilar artery. Some studies have shown that extracorporeal counterpulsation, helium-neon laser irradiation therapy and ultraviolet irradiation oxygenated autologous blood transfusion therapy have certain efficacy.
3.Etiologic treatment
For the various causes of insufficient blood supply to the vertebral basilar artery, such as cerebral atherosclerosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cervical spondylosis, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, etc., and cervical spondylosis, heart disease, vascular deformity, etc., to deal with, in order to achieve a better therapeutic effect. Surgery can be used for vascular intervention, vertebral artery reconstruction or plasty to improve the blood flow.
4. General treatment and functional exercise
Cerebral arteriosclerosis, hypertension and cervical spondylosis are important causes of insufficient blood supply to the vertebral basilar artery, but so far there is no effective treatment for these diseases. Early diagnosis, early treatment, effective improvement of cerebral blood supply, promotion of the establishment of cerebral collateral circulation, correction of lipids, blood sugar and other risk factors, alleviation of symptoms, inhibition of continued progression of the disease, and prevention of complications are the current proactive treatment measures.
Issues you may be concerned about
Vertebrobasilar insufficiency and dizziness?
The treatment of vertebrobasilar artery insufficient blood supply vertigo needs to be dealt with according to different causes, including general treatment and drug treatment, and it is recommended to consult a doctor in time.
1. Cervical spondylosis: It can often lead to insufficient blood supply to the vertebral basilar artery, thus causing vertigo. It is necessary to pay attention to rest, avoid exertion and improve living habits. If necessary, non-surgical treatments such as cervical traction can be performed under the guidance of a doctor, and if the condition is serious, surgical treatment can be used to alleviate it.
2. Cerebral atherosclerosis: It can also lead to vertigo symptoms, and can be treated with drugs such as betahistine or nimodipine under the guidance of a doctor, as well as paying attention to a diet with less salt and oil, and controlling body weight, etc. In addition, it should be ruled out that cerebral arteritis is a cause of dizziness.
Vertebrobasilar insufficiency should also be ruled out due to other causes such as cerebral arteritis, and it is recommended that if vertigo is caused by insufficiency of vertebral basilar artery blood supply, timely medical treatment should be sought.
Are there any Chinese herbal remedies for the treatment of insufficient blood supply to the vertebral basilar artery?
Inadequate blood supply to the vertebral basilar arteries is generally categorized as vertigo in Chinese medicine, and can be treated with Semixia and Atractylodes Macrocephalae Tianma Soup, Tongjiao and Blood Promoting Soup, and Tianma and Hook Teng Drink.
1. Semixia and Atractylodes Macrocephalae Tianma Soup: This medicine is mainly used for vertigo caused by phlegm-dampness blocking the brain orifices, accompanied by symptoms such as spinning of vision, tightness in the chest, nausea, vomiting of phlegm and salivation, less food and more sleep, white and greasy tongue, and moistened and slippery pulse. The medicines include hemixia, atractylodes, tianma, poria, licorice, etc. It is not suitable for vertigo caused by yin deficiency and hyperactivity of yang, deficiency of qi and blood.
2. Tongjiao and blood activation soup: this medicine is mainly for vertigo caused by stagnation of blood stasis in the brain orifices, accompanied by headache, forgetfulness, insomnia, palpitation, lack of mental energy, tinnitus and deafness, face and lips purplish and dark symptoms. The medicine includes peach kernel, safflower, musk, jujube and so on.
3. Tianma Hook Teng Drink: This medicine is mainly for the dizziness caused by hyperactivity of liver yang, accompanied by tinnitus, head and eyes distension and pain, impatience, irritability, bitter taste in the mouth, insomnia and dreaminess, and so on. The medication includes stone diamantine, Sichuan hyssop, mulberryberry, eucommia, and so on.
Specific medication should be consulted with a doctor and should not be used on its own as it may lead to adverse reactions.
What are the common Chinese medicines for insufficient blood supply to the vertebral basilar artery?
Insufficient blood supply to the vertebral basilar artery can belong to the category of Chinese medicine “dizziness”, “headache” and other diseases, the standing drugs can be selected according to the patient’s condition, such as pulse blood Kang capsule, nourishing blood and clearing the brain particles and so on.
The capsule has the effect of breaking blood stasis, clearing the veins and relieving pain. It is used for stroke, hemiplegia (one side of the limbs can not move freely), mass in the abdomen (women have lumps in the lower abdomen), lumps (lumps), blood stasis and menstrual closure, bruises and injuries.
Nourishing Blood and Clearing the Brain Granules has the effects of nourishing blood and calming the liver (calming the liver wind by replenishing liver blood), activating blood and clearing collaterals. It is used for headache, dizziness and blurred vision caused by blood deficiency and liver exuberance, irritability and insomnia.
It is recommended that patients with vertebral basilar artery blood supply insufficiency should not blindly take medication, and consult a doctor in a timely manner to clarify the cause of the disease and then carry out appropriate treatment under the guidance of the doctor.