|
A 69 year-old woman developed the abrupt onset of a global aphasia, left gaze preference, right hemiplegia, and right visual field loss. |
| Middle and Posterior Cerebral Artery Infarction. Axial CT scans at day 2. Note the large infarction in the distribution of the left middle cerebral (MCA) and posterior cerebral (PCA) arteries. Note the large infarction in the distribution of the left middle cerebral (MCA) and posterior cerebral (PCA) arteries. Such a lesion can occur from multiple emboli; however, it is more likely that a single occlusion caused this lesion. A number of individuals have a normal anatomic variant known as a persistent fetal circulation, wherein the PCA arises directly from the posterior communicating artery off the internal carotid artery. Thus, an embolus at the top of the internal carotid artery can then infarct the middle cerebral and posterior cerebral artery territories. In this case, the anterior cerebral artery territory is spared, presumably because of an intact anterior communicating artery whereby blood can flow from the contralateral side. In this case, subsequent angiography confirmed a complete left internal carotid artery occlusion with a persistent fetal circulation on the left. |
Revised
10/20/06
Copyrighted 2006. David C Preston