Symptomatic rotational occlusion of the vertebral artery — Case report and review of the literature

Background Intermittent symptomatic vertebral artery (VA) occlusion associated with voluntary turning of the head is known as bow hunter's stroke. A total of 40 such cases have been reported in the literature to date. We report a case successfully treated with surgical decompression and review the literature on this topic. Treatment options, including vertebral artery decompression and cervical fusion, are reviewed. Case report A 54-year-old Caucasian male experienced headache, vertigo, and nausea in the past 20 years whenever he turned his head to the right. In a neutral head position all symptoms immediately disappeared. Six years before admission to our department the patient complained that prolonged rotation to the right caused vertigo and nausea accompanied by right-sided hemianopia and transient right-sided hemiparesis. At that time, no treatment was recommended and hemianopia did not improve spontaneously. The patient was referred to our department in 2002. Angiography disclosed normal carotid arteries, occlusion of the right VA, while the left VA was patent in the neutral position. However, during head rotation to the right, the artery became occluded at the C1-2 level. The left vertebral artery at level C1-2 was decompressed. Result Postoperative angiography indicated patent left VA, both in the neutral position and during maximal rotation to the right. The patient is symptom-free for more than 24 months. Conclusion Surgical treatment of bow hunter's syndrome is easy and effective; this case should draw more attention to a very rare cause of VBI. The authors believe that vertebral artery decompression represents a more physiological treatment modality, and hence decompression is recommended as a first-line procedure.