Hypoplasia of the left vertebral artery. Causes. Symptoms. Treatment

Hypoplasia refers to the disorders that occur in the body during the development of the fetus. This is a phenomenon when a certain body is not sufficiently developed. This can happen with blood vessels.

Hypoplasia of the left vertebral artery can be both congenital and acquired. But most often it is a birth defect.

About the disease

Hypoplasia of the left vertebral artery is diagnosed if its lumen is below normal. Under such conditions, certain areas of the brain are poorly supplied with blood, which can cause problems. This disease manifests itself not immediately and can open in adulthood, since its symptoms are associated with a violation of blood circulation.

Symptoms and signs

Signs of hypoplasia of the left vertebral artery appear rather slowly, since the adaptive mechanisms allow to avoid problems in the body that appear due to the deterioration of the blood supply. Symptoms begin to appear gradually as the body changes with age.

In the early stages, the disease causes severe pain in the neck. Although it is almost impossible to diagnose it without other signs.

When the stage of the lesion of the artery is sufficiently developed, more and more symptoms appear. Headaches and dizziness begin, eyesight diminishes, nervous breakdowns occur, and limb weakness may occur. In some cases, coordination problems may occur.

During the examination, other signs of the disease often appear. The branches of the left vertebral artery may increase. This is due to the fact that the biological fluid does not arrive in sufficient quantities through the artery and small vessels are forced to perform more functions than they are capable of. In normal operation, this should not occur.

The consequence of the increase in the branches is a significant increase in blood pressure. In some cases, this can lead to the appearance of nasal bleeding, nausea and vomiting may occur, and consciousness becomes confused.

Over the years hypoplasia of the left vertebral artery is developing more and more. Symptoms become more pronounced.

Causes of the disease

The exact cause of the onset of the disease is difficult to determine, since it is a congenital defect. It is believed that the main factor is the woman's wrong lifestyle during pregnancy. Basically, these are harmful habits of a pregnant woman, such as smoking, using drugs and alcoholic beverages.

The appearance of the disease can also affect injuries and bruises of a woman during pregnancy. If the future mother has suffered a serious illness (eg, flu, rubella, toxoplasmosis), this can contribute to the development of the disease. Recent studies have shown that stress and depression during pregnancy can contribute to the occurrence of problems with vertebral arteries.

Diagnosis of the disease

Symptoms of this pathology are similar to other diseases, so the doctor should all exclude them before making a diagnosis. The specialist should study the symptoms in detail and prescribe certain examinations.

Most often, to accurately diagnose with such signs, use magnetic resonance imaging. In some cases, an ultrasound of vertebral arteries is prescribed. With the help of these studies determine in what state the vessels of the brain.

Treatment

Not in all cases, people suffering from such a disease, need treatment. In most people, the body itself compensates for the disruption of the operation of this artery at the expense of other, smaller ones. Thanks to this property of the body, a person can feel fine and not suspect that he has health problems.

In mild cases, you need to take certain measures to alleviate the harm to the body, which can bring such a disease as hypoplasia of the left vertebral artery. Treatment consists in prescribing drugs for vasodilation. They can to some extent reduce pressure and normalize blood circulation in the narrowed vessels. Such drugs are quite potent, they need to be taken when it is really necessary. Since the use of such medications causes a number of side effects, they are often prescribed together with other medicines that can smooth out some of the negative phenomena.

The use of vasodilator drugs can cause chest pain, nausea, vomiting, nasal congestion, severe dizziness. The amount of vegetation on the body may increase.

Stenting

In certain cases, surgical intervention is necessary for patients with a disease such as hypoplasia of the left vertebral artery. The operation is called "stenting". It consists in that during the procedure the patient is inserted a small tube into the artery, this normalizes blood circulation.

The operation is performed under general anesthesia. On the day of the procedure, it is better to give up eating and drinking. After stenting, the patient is prescribed medications that dilute the blood. For some time you should not do hard work, play sports, it is better to avoid any kinds of physical activities. If the doctor's recommendations are followed, the rehabilitation process will go without complications.