Abnormal hemorheological parameters in vertebrobasilar-insufficiency.

Thirty-seven patients, aged 47 +/- 22 years, diagnosed suffering from vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI), underwent a hemorheological examination; 20% of these patients had no vascular risk-factor but none showed complete normal hemorheological findings. The distribution of hemorheological parameters was comparable to those in patients suffering from stroke or TIA. Abnormal were platelet-reactivity in 78%, plasma-viscosity in 57%, fibrinogen in 23%, red-blood-cell-aggregation in 13% and hematocrit in 11% of all cases. To obtain more information on how to classify common clinical symptoms i.e. headache in combination with vertigo it may be useful to introduce hemorheological parameters as platelet-reactivity, plasma-viscosity, fibrinogen, in the further laboratory examination of those patients.