{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T17:53:13Z","timestamp":1786125193618,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,12,10]],"date-time":"2018-12-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1544400000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/journals\/pages\/open_access\/funder_policies\/chorus\/standard_publication_model"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Operative Surg.","ONSURG"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Nerve root compression by an ectatic vertebral artery is a known but easily overlooked cause of cervical radiculopathy. Management options include nonoperative conservative therapies or surgical approaches designed to relieve the compression via anterior or posterior cervical approaches.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>CLINICAL PRESENTATION<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A 72-yr-old female presented with a 6-mo history of sharp, shooting pain in her right arm and shoulder and deltoid weakness. Imaging demonstrated a vertebral artery loop compressing the proximal right C5 nerve root. She previously underwent both nonoperative measures as well as posterior foraminotomy at this level with limited improvement in her pain. Therefore, we performed an anterolateral approach for vascular decompression of the C5 nerve root from the vertebral artery loop. Patient has been pain-free at 1 yr with full recovery of her deltoid weakness.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>CONCLUSION<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Vertebral artery loop formation is an uncommon cause of cervical radiculopathy, which can be readily treated by vascular decompression of the nerve root-vertebral artery loop complex. Although anomalous vertebral artery compression of a cervical nerve root is rare, it is increasingly being recognized as a readily treatable entity that can lead to lasting and full neurological recovery. We also include an operative video to illustrate the vascular decompression of an ectatic vertebral artery causing severe cervical radiculopathy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/ons\/opy282","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,12,10]],"date-time":"2018-12-10T04:34:20Z","timestamp":1544416460000},"page":"E29-E32","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Anterolateral Approach for a Cervical Nerve Root Compression Syndrome Due to an Ectatic Vertebral Artery"],"prefix":"10.1227","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Andrew S","family":"Venteicher","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ayesha","family":"Quddusi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jean V","family":"Coumans","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,7]]},"reference":[{"issue":"5","key":"bib1-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"465","DOI":"10.3340\/jkns.2010.48.5.465","article-title":"Cervical radiculopathy caused by vertebral artery loop formation : a case report and review of the literature","volume":"48","author":"Kim","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Korean Neurosurg Soc"},{"issue":"5","key":"bib2-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.3941\/jrcr.v8i5.1407","article-title":"Symptomatic vertebral artery loop: a case report and review of literature","volume":"8","author":"Doweidar","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Radiol Case Rep"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib3-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"192","DOI":"10.1212\/WNL.0b013e3181e7ca44","article-title":"Vertebral artery loop formation causing severe cervical nerve root compression","volume":"75","author":"Fink","year":"2010","journal-title":"Neurology"},{"issue":"11","key":"bib4-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1183","DOI":"10.1097\/01.BRS.0000067275.08517.58","article-title":"Vertebral artery loop formation: a frequent cause of cervicobrachial pain","volume":"28","author":"Paksoy","year":"2003","journal-title":"Spine"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib5-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"537","DOI":"10.1148\/96.3.537","article-title":"Cervical pedicle erosion and rootlet compression caused by a tortuous vertebral artery","volume":"96","author":"Anderson","year":"1970","journal-title":"Radiology"},{"issue":"4","key":"bib6-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"767","DOI":"10.2214\/ajr.108.4.767","article-title":"Cervical vertebral erosion caused by vertebral artery tortuosity","volume":"108","author":"Zimmerman","year":"1970","journal-title":"Am J Roentgenol"},{"issue":"4","key":"bib7-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"669","DOI":"10.3171\/jns.1993.78.4.0669","article-title":"Compression of the C-2 root by a rare anomalous ectatic vertebral artery","volume":"78","author":"Sharma","year":"1993","journal-title":"J Neurosurg"},{"issue":"1","key":"bib8-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"140","DOI":"10.1227\/00006123-199407000-00022","article-title":"Cervical root compression by a loop of the vertebral artery: case report","volume":"35","author":"Duthel","year":"1994","journal-title":"Neurosurgery"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib9-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"283","DOI":"10.3171\/jns.1993.79.2.0283","article-title":"Cervical cord compression by the anomalous vertebral artery presenting with neuralgic pain","volume":"79","author":"Satoh","year":"1993","journal-title":"J Neurosurg"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib10-20240909","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"485","DOI":"10.3171\/jns.1998.89.3.0485","article-title":"Vascular decompression of a vertebral artery loop producing cervical radiculopathy. 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