Vertebral Artery Test – Purpose, Procedure and Results

What is Vertebral Artery?

The vertebral arteries are one of the most critical arteries located at the base of the neck. It branches from the subclavian artery, where it arises from the superior poster portion of the subclavian artery. It climbs through the foramina of the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae, starts at the C6 and enters as high as the C4. The artery winds between the superior articular process of the atlas and then it comes inside the cranium with the help of foramen magnum, and this is where both of them mainly unites with the opposite vertebral artery so that it can quickly form the basilar artery.

Why Is The Vertebral Artery Test Performed?

The Vertebral artery test is used in physiotherapy to test the vertebral artery blood flow, searching for symptoms of vertebral artery insufficiency and various other artery diseases. The test maneuver can cause a reduction of the lumen at the third division of the vertebral artery which results in decreased blood flow to the intracranial VA of the contralateral side. The primary purpose of the vertebral artery test is to assess the contributions of vertebral artery occlusion to the patient’s symptoms.

How Is The Vertebral Artery Test Performed?

The vertebral artery test is easy to conduct. The patient would need to rotate his head opposite to tested side maximally and holds a position for 10 seconds. Then patient would then need to return to neutral for 10 seconds. The patient would again need to extend his head for 10 seconds and then back to neutral. Patient needs to stretch and rotate his head again on the opposite tested side maximum for 10 seconds. The positive symptoms include dizziness, sensory changes Diplopia, and dysphasia; drop attacks, dysarthria, nausea and vomiting, nystagmus and more.

Vertebral Artery Test Results – Positive or Negative?

If a person is tested positive in the vertebral artery test, he/she may have Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency. But again if the patient examines as contrary being negative, you cannot rule out Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency. And there may still be chances that he/she is prone to the disease. The leading theory behind this test is to maximally stress the opposite vertebral artery by stretching it to decrease the space in the lumen of the artery.

What are the Symptoms of Vertebral Artery Dissection?

There are many significant symptoms and some of them have been enlisted below,

• One of the main symptoms is a contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation in the trunk and limbs.
• Severe hiccups occur as one of the major symptoms here.
• Dysarthria or hoarseness of the cranial nerves
• Ipsilateral loss of taste
• Ipsilateral facial dysesthesia like pain or numbness

What is the Vertebral Artery Test Like?

The vertebral artery test is required in physiotherapy, to test the vertebral artery blood flow, and sometimes searching for the symptoms of vertebral artery insufficiency as well as the disease itself. This performance of this test causes a decrease of the lumen at the third division of the vertebral artery, which also results in blood flow of the intracranial vertebral artery.