To evaluate diagnostic significance of various X-ray and neurophysiological methods and compare therapeutic and surgical treatment approaches in patients with ischemic cerebral blood flow abnormalities, 410 patients with the pathology of extracranial parts of carotid and vertebral arteries have been studied. One hundred and sixty-six patients underwent the carotid and vertebral artery surgery followed by case monitoring. An algorithm worked out in the study allowed to reveal the most significant variants of the pathology in extracranial arteries, e.g. aterostenosis, crimpiness and vertebral influence. A new neurophysiological method for evaluation of steadiness of the brainstem and occipital lobes to chronic ischemia caused by the pathology of extracranial parts of vertebral arteries is suggested. It includes two methods: auditory evoked brainstem potentials with different stimulation frequencies and duplex scan with photostimulation and evaluation of photoresponsiveness index.