Surgical treatment of vertebral artery insufficiency in patients with diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Nine patients with signs and symptoms of vertebral-basilar artery insufficiency and with the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis experienced partial restoration of lost neurologic function with the revascularization of ischemic tissue of the hindbrain by an operation to correct partial extraluminal obstruction of the proximal segment of the first part of the vertebral artery. The selection of patients is dependent on preoperative angiography of the aortic arch with visualization of the vessels of the neck, the vertebral and the carotid arteries. There was no mortality and no significant morbidity among these patients.