VERTEBRAL ARTERY OCCULSION

• With spinal trauma its essential to look at the signal of the vertebral arteries as there can be dissection.

• In most cases we don’t do a routine MRA so being able to spot a dissection on the standard scans is very important to look for an occluded vertebral artery that would indicate underlying dissection.

• Normal vertebral arteries should be low signal (Green arrow) due to the blood flow resulting in a flow void.

• In this case there is increased signal in the right vertebral artery (Pink arrow) which is abnormal.

• The patient had a spinal fracture and dissection of the vertebral artery resulting in occlusion. 

Absent flow void in the right vertebral artery (Pink arrow).