Morphometric Analysis of Vertebral Artery in the Scaleno Vertebral Triangle

Background: The vertebral arteries (VA) play a vital role in supplying blood to the brainstem and cerebellum. Vertebral artery anomalies, including abnormal origins, courses, and structural irregularities, heighten the risk of cerebrovascular events. Typically, the vertebral arteries arise from the posterosuperior aspect of the first part of the subclavian artery. The aim of this study is to present the presence of variation in the origin of vertebral artery Material and Methods: Twenty-eight embalmed cadavers allotted for 1st year MBBS dissection in the Department of Anatomy were used for the study. The triangle of vertebral artery was exposed in all the cadavers, and examined the origin of vertebral artery. Dimensions of the Triangle of Vertebral artery (TVA) and vertebral artery were then measured using a digital vernier caliper and the area and height of the TVA were calculated. Result: In the present study, we have evaluated the morphometric parameters of the TVA and vertebral artery. Even though there were no noticeable differences in the boundaries of TVA of both sides, the morphometric parameters showed slight difference in the measurements, but not significant. Among the 28 cadavers the unilateral origin of VA in one cadaver was from the arch of aorta between the left common carotid artery (LCA) and left subclavian artery (LSCA) . Discussion & Conclusion: The mean height of TVA was 26.3mm (range, 23.7-33.7 mm) on the left and 26.2mm (range, 23.5-32.8 mm) on the right. In the current study it was observed the origin of VA from the arch of aorta between the left common carotid artery (LCA) and left subclavian artery (LSCA). The current study found that 3.6% of the variations in the origin of VA. This study highlights the variation in the origin of the vertebral artery and accentuates the importance of identifying these variations in clinical practice. KEYWORDS: Vertebral Artery, Subclavian artery, Arch of Aorta, foramen transversarium.