The ascending cervical artery gives twigs to the neck muscles and these anastomose with branches of the vertebral arteries.
22.
The PICA branches off the lateral portion of the vertebral arteries just inferior to their junction with the basilar artery.
23.
The AICA branches off the lateral portion of the basilar artery, just superior to the junction of the vertebral arteries.
24.
This is an opening on each of the transverse processes which gives passage to the vertebral artery and sympathetic nerve plexus.
25.
Likewise, a 35-year-old mother of four in Seattle suffered a stroke precipitated by a dissected vertebral artery immediately after chiropractic manipulation.
26.
Aneurysms in the posterior circulation ( basilar artery, vertebral arteries and posterior communicating artery ) have a higher risk of rupture.
27.
An anatomical variation is that the left vertebral artery can arise from the aortic arch instead of the left subclavian artery.
28.
It also can affect the vertebral artery, in which case it could produce vision disturbances, including transient blindness, and embolic cerebral infarction.
29.
It begins at the foramen magnum where branches of the two vertebral arteries exit, merge, and descend along the anterior spinal cord.
30.
There is controversy regarding the degree of risk of vertebral artery dissection, which can lead to stroke and death, from cervical manipulation.
