Artery of Percheron Infarct: A Rare Presentation of Acute Ischemic Stroke in a High-Risk Antiphospholipid Syndrome Patient (original) (raw)
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Artery of Percheron Infarct: A Case Series
Bengal Physician Journal
The artery of Percheron (AOP), which is a rare anatomical variant, is characterized by a solitary common arterial trunk arising from the posterior cerebral artery (PCA). Occlusion of this artery is rare and may lead to a bilateral paramedian thalamic infarction with or without midbrain involvement. The AOP is a rare anatomical variant that is present in 4-12% of the population. The AOP stroke represents 0.1-2.0% of ischemic strokes and 4-18% of thalamic infarcts. This case series describes the varied clinical manifestations and the imaging findings of AOP infarct. The symptoms noted in the series are altered mental state, hypersomnolence, vertical diplopia, memory disturbances, hemiparesis, and ataxia. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings showed bilateral paramedian thalamic infarct with or without the involvement of the midbrain. The complexity and polymorphism of AOP stroke semiology explain why bilateral thalamic infarction is often misdiagnosed, lately detected, or even not detected. It is a real diagnostic challenge for clinicians to detect this condition in a timely fashion. Its diagnosis and treatment may be delayed because of the wide spectrum of its clinical features.
Bilateral Thalamic Infarction Secondary to Thrombosis of Artery of Percheron
Cureus, 2021
The artery of Percheron (AOP) is a rare anatomical variation emerging from the posterior circulation and supplies both thalami in the brain. As per the literature, the AOP infarction constitutes less than 2% of all stroke cases. AOP infarctions are usually caused by a combination of risk factors and a predisposing vascular territory. The areas most affected by AOP are the paramedian thalami with or without the involvement of the midbrain. AOP can be challenging as it is infrequent and mostly can be missed on the initial scans. We present a 58-year-old previously healthy male known to have hypertension with poor follow-up who presented with dysarthria and facial weakness, which he felt after waking up from sleep. After the initial physical examination and investigations, a preliminary diagnosis of stroke was made. As the patient was worked up for the stroke, his symptoms improved, and he was back to his baseline function within 48 hrs of presentation. What came to our surprise was th...
Artery of Percheron Infarction: A Rare But Important Cause of Bilateral Thalamic Stroke
Cureus, 2023
Artery of Percheron infarction is a serious but rare condition that can result in acute bilateral thalamic infarction and a wide range of neurological symptoms. It occurs due to occlusion of the single arterial branch that supplies the medial thalamus and rostral midbrain bilaterally. In this case report, we describe a 58-year-old female with a history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia who presented with sudden confusion, speech difficulties, and right-sided weakness. An initial CT scan showed ill-defined hypodensity in the left internal capsule, which, when combined with the clinical features, suggested acute ischemic stroke. The patient received an IV tissue plasminogen activator within the recommended time window. Several days later, repeated imaging showed bilateral thalamic hypodensity consistent with subacute infarction in the territory of the artery of Percheron. The patient was subsequently discharged to a rehabilitation facility for further recovery and rehabilitation with residual mild hemiparesis. It is important for healthcare providers to maintain a high index of suspicion for the artery of Percheron infarction and be aware of its potential to cause acute bilateral thalamic infarction and a variety of neurological symptoms.
Artery of Percheron Infarct: An Acute Diagnostic Challenge with a Spectrum of Clinical Presentations
Cureus, 2018
The artery of Percheron (AOP) is a variant of the paramedian thalamic vasculature that supplies blood to the medial aspect of the thalamus and the rostral midbrain. The presentation of an infarct in this territory varies widely and is often characterized by nonspecific neurological deficits, with altered mental status, decreased level of consciousness, and memory impairment being among the most common. AOP infarcts are often missed on initial computed tomography (CT) scan, and additional imaging is usually not done due to low suspicion for stroke in most cases. There have been an increasing number of reports of AOP infarction, illustrating the diversity of clinical presentations and the challenge this presents to clinicians in the acute setting. Lacking the classic signs of stroke, many of these patients experience a delay in recognition and treatment, with the majority of diagnoses occurring outside the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) window. This case highlights the unusual pre...
Artery of Percheron Infarction: Imaging Patterns and Clinical Spectrum
American Journal of Neuroradiology, 2010
Occlusion of the AOP results in a characteristic pattern of ischemia: bilateral paramedian thalamus with or without midbrain involvement. Although the classic imaging findings are often recognized, only a few small case series and isolated cases of AOP infarction have been reported. The purpose of this study was to characterize the complete imaging spectrum of AOP infarction on the basis of a large series of cases obtained from multiple institutions.
Percheron Artery Ischemia: Case Report
São Paulo Medical Journal, 2021
Context: The Artery of Percheron (AOP) is an uncommon anatomic vascular variation derivated from posterior cerebral artery segment P1, wich branchs to irrigate bilaterally the thalamus in it is paramedian portion. Amidst vascular cerebral events of the ischemic type, thalamic infarction occour in 11% of the cases. The typical clinical presentation is constituted by the triad: cogniyivebehavior comitente, oculomotors and consience disturbs. Case report: J.F.M.L, 51 years old, male, was found unconscious in his residence by SAMU and then interned in Stroke Room of HGP in 02/06/2020 with a lowered level of consciousness (Glasgow 8). The tests demonstrated a bilateral thalamic infarct due to Artery of Percheron Ischemia. In 02/09/2020 it evolved into a Glasgow 9 being extubated. The CT after 3 days demonstrated absence of bleeding and prophylatically initiated simvastatin, clexane, physiotherapy and phonoaudiology. In 02/15/2020, during physical exam, the pacient was lucid, presented be...
Case Reports in Emergency Medicine, 2019
Artery of Percheron (AOP) is a rare anatomical variant, which supplies bilateral paramedian thalami and the rostral mesencephalon via a single dominant thalamic perforating artery arising from the P1 segment of a posterior cerebral artery. AOP infarcts can present with a plethora of neurological symptoms: altered mental status, memory impairment, hypersomnolence, coma, aphasia, and vertical gaze palsy. Given the lack of classic stroke signs, majority of AOP infarcts are not diagnosed in the emergency setting. Timely diagnosis of an acute bilateral thalamic infarct can be challenging, and this case report highlights the uncommon neurological presentation of AOP infarction. The therapeutic time window to administer IV tPA can be missed due to this delay in diagnosis, resulting in poor clinical outcomes. To initiate appropriate acute ischemic stroke management, we propose a comprehensive radiological evaluation in the emergency room for patients with a high suspicion of an AOP infarction.
Artery of Percheron infarction: a case report
Journal of Medical Case Reports
Background: The artery of Percheron is a rare anatomic variant of arterial supply to the paramedian thalamus and rostral midbrain, and occlusion of the artery of Percheron results in bilateral paramedian thalamic infarcts with or without midbrain involvement. Acute artery of Percheron infarcts represent 0.1 to 2% of total ischemic stroke. However, of thalamic strokes, occlusion of artery of Percheron is the cause in 4 to 35% of cases. Early diagnosis of artery of Percheron infarction can be challenging because it is infrequent and early computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging may be negative. Thus, it can be confused with other neurological conditions such as tumors and infections. Case presentation: This is a retrospective case study of a 56-year-old white man admitted to Umeå University Hospital and diagnosed with an artery of Percheron infarction. Medical records and the neuroradiological database were reviewed, and the diagnosis was made based on typical symptoms and radiological findings of artery of Percheron infarction. We report the case of a 56-year-old man with a history of overconsumption of alcohol who was found in his home unconscious and hypothermic. He had a Reaction Level Scale-85 score of 4. He developed ventricular fibrillation on arrival at our emergency department, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation successfully restored sinus rhythm within an estimated 2 minutes of onset. He was then put on cardiopulmonary bypass for rewarming. The initial head computed tomography performed on admission was wrongly assessed as unremarkable. Bilateral ischemia in the paramedian thalamic nuclei and pons were first documented on a follow-up computed tomography on day 24 after hospitalization. He died on day 35 after hospitalization. Conclusions: Artery of Percheron infarcts are rare. The radiological diagnosis can initially often be judged as normal and in combination with variability in the neurological symptoms it is a rather difficult condition to diagnose. For these reasons few clinicians have much experience with this type of infarct, which may delay diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment.
Cardioembolic Artery of Percheron Infarction
Cureus, 2024
Occlusion of the artery of Percheron (AOP) is a rare yet potentially disabling form of ischemic stroke resulting in infarction of the bilateral paramedian thalami and mesencephalon with variable and often atypical presentation. Given the various patterns of thalamic blood supply, recognizing the presence of AOP infarction is crucial for the diagnosis and management of ischemic strokes involving these regions. Here, we report a case of acute hemorrhagic infarction involving the bilateral thalami and the rostral mesencephalon caused by a cardioembolic occlusion of the AOP.