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Objective:To evaluate the three-dimensional CT angiography (3DCTA) in displaying the V2 segment of the vertebral artery, and identify the course and variation.Methods:250 cases without obvious pathological lesions were selected from the 3D data of head-neck CTA examination. On the 3D images, we observed the courses of the V2 segment of the vertebral artery and the variations of the vascular diameter. Measuring the distance between both sides vertebral artery.Results:The vertebral artery entered the C6 transverse foramen in 92.6% of all specimens. An abnormal level of entrance was observed in 7.4% of specimens (37courses), with a level of entrance into the C4, C5, or C7 transverse foramen, respectively, in 2.2%(n=11; 29.7% of all anomalies),4.6%(n=23; 62.2% of all anomalies)and 0.6%(n=3;8.1% of all anomalies) of all specimens.20(54.1%) abnormalities were right-sided and 17(45.9%) were left-sided.21 out of 250 patients (10.8%) had a unilateral anomaly and 5 had a bilateral anomaly (2%). To compare the vascular diameter of the vertebral artery, the size in the left were larger than that in the right in 53 cases, and the size in the right were larger than in the left in 30 cases, which was of significant difference between left and right(p<0.01). The distance of the vertebral artery increase gradually from top to bottom.Conclusion:The incidence of anatomic variations of the vertebral artery V2 segment is high.3D-CTA, which can objectively reflect the pathology of the vertebral artery, has important clinical value.
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