The vertebral artery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
A quantitative map of vertebral-artery variation across origin, transverse-foramen entry, tortuosity, hypoplasia, and dominance.
The V1–V2 vertebral artery is highly variable in several independent dimensions.
The pooled evidence shows that the usual pattern is common, but clinically meaningful variants of origin, entry level, course, calibre, and dominance collectively occur often enough to demand deliberate pre-procedural assessment.
A large synthesis of V1–V2 variability
The meta-analysis combined 62 studies and 32,153 vertebral arteries to quantify origin, transverse-foramen entry, tortuosity, hypoplasia, and dominance.
Studies
Included in the meta-analysis.
Vessels
Combined vertebral arteries.
Subclavian origin
Standardized prevalence.
C6 entry
Most common transverse-foramen entry.
Five clinically relevant dimensions
Choose a category to see the principal pooled findings.
“Normal” is common, but variation is not rare
The pooled data quantify how often a surgeon or radiologist should expect anatomy outside the simplest textbook pattern.