General patient characteristics.
| Variables | Case 1 | Case 2 | Case 3 | Case 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 36 | 45 | 36 | 54 |
| Gender | male | male | male | male |
| Hypertension history | - | - | - | + |
| Diabetes history | - | - | - | - |
| Coronary heart disease history | - | - | - | - |
| Smoking | + | + | + | + |
| Drinking | + | + | + | + |
| Homocysteine (umol/L) | 50.88 | 15.57 | 39.75 | 16.14 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 1.37 | 1.81 | 3.17 | 3.64 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 3.68 | 4.77 | 4.83 | 6.31 |
| Low density lipoprotein (mmol/L) | 1.94 | 3.55 | 3.46 | 4.01 |
| Fasting blood glucose (mmol/L) | 4.90 | 4.60 | 6.06 | 5.24 |
| Glycosylated hemoglobin (%) | 4.84 | 5.26 | 6.05 | 5.10 |
| VAH diameter (mm) | 0.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.4 |
| LMI side | right | right | left | right |
| Horner’s sign | + | - | + | - |
| Dysarthria | + | + | + | - |
| Attenuated sensation | + | + | + | + |
| Limb paralysis | - | + | - | + |
| Ataxia | + | + | + | + |
| NIHSS day 1 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 6 |
| NIHSS day 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| NIHSS day 30 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Barthel index day 7 | 100 | 70 | 100 | 80 |
| Barthel index day 30 | 100 | 80 | 100 | 90 |
| CBF ratio | 1.28 | 0.49 | 0.89 | 0.65 |
| CBV ratio | 1.29 | 0.69 | 0.89 | 0.56 |
VAH - vertebral artery hypoplasia; LMI - lateral medullary infarction, Horner’s sign - ptosis, miosis, ipsilateral anhidrosis, and apparent enophthalmos, NIHSS - National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, CBF (cerebral blood flow)ratio - between the ischemic lesion and the contralateral mirror regions of interest, CBV (cerebral blood volum)ratio - between the ischemic lesion and the contralateral mirror regions of interest