Duplication of the left vertebral artery in a patient with dissection of the right internal carotid artery and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: Case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Duplication of the left vertebral artery was observed in a 43-year-old Caucasian male with dissection of the right internal carotid artery during multidetector 64-row computer tomography and Doppler ultrasonography B-flow mode. Both duplicated segments arose from the left subclavian artery and united at levels C5-C6 to form a single vessel. The presented case describes precisely the origin and diameter of both vertebral arteries. Additionally, after all procedures associated with diagnosis and treatment of the patient, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV was diagnosed. The lumen of the duplicated vertebral artery was smaller than normal; it can be concluded that this variant has clinical implications and should be taken into consideration when vertebral arteries need catheterization. © The Author(s) 2012.