Artery of Percheron Infarction: A Rare But Important Cause of Bilateral Thalamic Stroke

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 r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2023-04, Vol.15 (4), p.e37054
Main Authors: Alaithan, Tajah M, Almaramhi, Husam M, Felemban, Afnan S, Alaithan, Abdullah M, Alharbi, Ahlam
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antihypertensives
Blood pressure
Case reports
Dysarthria
Emergency medical care
Emergency Medicine
Glasgow Coma Scale
Hospitals
Medical imaging
Neurology
Patients
Rehabilitation
Stroke
Veins & arteries
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.37054