Artery of Percheron Infarct: A Case Series

JOURNAL TITLE: Bengal Physician Journal

Author
1. Muralidharan Kamalakannan
2. Mugundhan Krishnan
3. Viveka Saravanan
4. Pramod Kumar
ISSN
DOI
10.5005/jp-journals-10070-7093
Volume
9
Issue
3
Publishing Year
2022
Pages
4
Author Affiliations
    1. Government Stanley Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
    1. Department of Neurology, Stanley Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
    1. Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, pkumar_pain@rediffmail.com
    2. Jaiprabha Medanta Superspeciality Hospital, Patna, Bihar, India
    3. Faridabad, Haryana, India; All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
    1. Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Article keywords
    Diplopia, Hypersomnolence, Paramedian thalamus, Posterior cerebral artery, Skew deviation, Thalamogeniculate arteries, Thalamopeduncular syndrome, The artery of Percheron, Top of basilar syndrome

    Abstract

    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.

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