An Arteriographic Study of Cerebrovascular Disease in Man: I. Stenosis and Occlusion of the Vertebral-Basilar Arterial System

The frequent occurrence of neurological syndromes due to atherosclerotic stenosis and occlusion of the vertebral and basilar arterial system has become recognized only in the past decade, although cases of occlusion of the basilar artery proved at necropsy were first reported by Leyden in 1875 17 and by Marburg in 1911. 20 Most of the early cases were due to syphilitic arteritis. Kubik and Adams 16 and Biemond 2 gave excellent clinical and pathological descriptions of thrombosis due to atherosclerosis of the basilar artery. These authors agreed that the diagnosis could be made during life from the clinical signs but indicated that the condition was rare. During the past five years there have been numerous papers dealing with the symptomatology and medical treatment of insufficiency of the vertebral-basilar arterial system. 6-18,21,22,25-29 Rather than considering atherosclerosis of the basilar artery as rare, we are now of the opinion that the condition