Combined reconstruction of the vertebral and carotid artery in one single procedure.

Patients suffering from vertebrobasilar insufficiency frequently have multiple areas of involvement in the extracranial circulation. Eight patients admitted to Henry Ford Hospital had symptoms suggestive of vertebrobasilar insufficiency and angiograms showing multiple abnormalities. A combined operation that reconstructed the carotid and vertebral circulations in one single procedure was completed in all patients with minimal morbidity and no mortality. The surgical procedure is described in detail.