|
A 58 year-old hypertensive man developed a headache, nausea and vomiting, associated with left sided numbness which slowly worsened over 2 hours. Over several hours, he lapsed into a coma. |
| Thalamic Intracerebral Hemorrhage with Ventricular Extension:
Axial CT scans. Note
that there is a large hemorrhage in the region of the right thalamus with
extension to the third ventricle and anterior horn of the lateral ventricles
(left scan). In addition, blood has spread into the fourth ventricle (right
scan). This is one of the common sites of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. Early neurological symptoms include contralateral sensory loss. With mass effect, patients develop headache, nausea and vomiting. As the lesion expands, patients may become lethargic due to direct compression on the upper brainstem structures or obstructive hydrocephalus. Eye movement abnormalities, especially impaired vertical gaze, are common in thalamic mass lesions. |
Revised
11/29/06.
Copyrighted 2006. David C Preston