Clinical findings, stroke mechanisms, large artery vascular lesions, and outcome among 39 patients with midbrain infarction in the NEMC posterior circulation registry
| Infarct distribution | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proximal territory Midbrain plus PICA cerebellum or medulla (n=4 (10%)) | Middle territory Midbrain plus pons or AICA (n=19 (49%)) | Isolated midbrain (n=3 (8%)) | Distal territory Midbrain ±thalamus ±PCA or SCA (n=13) (33%)) | Total (n=39) | (%) | |||||
| Clinical signs | ||||||||||
| Ocular motor | 4 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 28 | 72 | ||||
| Motor | 3 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 24 | 62 | ||||
| Ataxia | 4 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 56 | ||||
| Somnolence | 3 | 2 | — | 6 | 11 | 28 | ||||
| Coma | — | 4 | — | 2 | 6 | 15 | ||||
| Sensory | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | 6 | 15 | ||||
| Hemianopia | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 8 | ||||
| Mechanism | ||||||||||
| Cardioembolism | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 28 | ||||
| Large artery thrombosis | — | 7 | — | 2 | 9 | 23 | ||||
| Large artery embolism | 1 | 2 | — | 4 | 7 | 18 | ||||
| Branch penetrator | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 13 | ||||
| Other | 1 | 3 | — | — | 4 | 10 | ||||
| Unidentified embolism | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||||
| Proven large artery vascular lesion | ||||||||||
| ECVA stenosis | — | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||||
| ECVA occlusion | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 4 | 10 | ||||
| ICVA stenosis | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 4 | 10 | ||||
| ICVA occlusion | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Tandem EC and ICVA stenosis | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| BA stenosis | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | 6 | 15 | ||||
| BA occlusion | — | 7 | — | — | 7 | 18 | ||||
| PCA occlusion | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 5 | ||||
| Outcome | ||||||||||
| Dependent | 1 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 19 | 49 | ||||
| Independent | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 36 | ||||
| No deficit | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 7.5 | ||||
| Dead | — | 3 | — | — | 3 | 7.5 | ||||
BA, basilar artery; ECVA, extracranial vertebral artery, ICVA, intracranial vertebral artery, AICA, anterior inferior cerebellar artery; PICA, posterior inferior cerebellar artery; SCA, superior cerebellar artery; PCA, posterior cerebral artery.