Magnetic resonance angiography evaluation of basilar artery stenosis in patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency.

To assess the usefulness of evaluating basilar arterial flow by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), MRA results for patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) were compared with those for age-matched individuals with no vestibular disorders. The presence of stenosis in the basilar artery, its severity and the presence of complications associated with atherosclerosis in the two groups were statistically compared. Analyses revealed significant differences in the incidence of stenosis, its severity, and the incidence of complications between the two groups. These findings suggest that MRA is valuable for the estimation of vertebrobasilar hemodynamics. MRA evaluation of basilar artery stenosis appears to be suitable for identifying a high-risk group among VBI patients, since basilar artery stenosis can result in serious disabilities.