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posterior cerebral artery syndrome
Etiology:
- occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA)
Pathology:
- may affect the occipital lobe, the inferomedial temporal lobe, a large portion of the thalamus, the midbrain & pons
- occlusion of the proximal portion of the PCA produce only minor deficits due to the collateral blood flow from the opposite hemisphere via the posterior communicating artery; distal occlusions result in more serious deficits
Clinical manifestations:
- contralateral homonymous hemianopsia
- cortical blindness with bilateral involvement of the occipital lobe branches
- visual agnosia
- prosopagnosia
- dyslexia, anomic aphasia, color naming & discrimination difficulty
- memory impairment
- topographic disorientation
- thalamic pain, dysesthesias & sensory impairments
- involuntary movements: chorea, intention tremor, hemiballismus
- contralateral hemiplegia
- Weber's syndrome: occulomotor nerve palsy
Laboratory:
- see ischemic stroke
Radiology:
- see ischemic stroke
Management:
- see ischemic stroke
Related
posterior cerebral artery
General
ischemic stroke
syndrome
References
- Wikipedia: Posterior cerebral artery syndrome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior_cerebral_artery_syndrome
- Helseth EK and Lutsep HL
Posterior Cerebral Artery Stroke
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2128100-overview
- Fisher CM.
The posterior cerebral artery syndrome.
Can J Neurol Sci. 1986 Aug;13(3):232-9.
PMID: 3742339