Abstract
To evaluate the usefulness of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of vertebro-basilar insufficiency (VBI), 32 patients with vertigo or dizziness who were suspected of having VBI and 19 patients with Bell's palsy (as control) were examined by MRI. Seventy-two percent of the VBI group and 16% of the control group showed asymmetry or bilateral narrowing of caliber of vertebral artery, the rate being significantly higher in the VBI group. Thirty-eight percent of the VBI group and 11 % of the control group demonstrated lacunar infarction in the brain stem and 69% of the VBI group and 32% of the control group demonstrated lacunar infarction in the basal ganglion, the rate being significantly higher in the VBI group. These MRI findings may contribute to the diagnosis of VBI.
