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Case Reports
. 2024 Mar 8;16(3):e55797.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.55797. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Decoding Altered Consciousness: An Artery of Percheron Stroke

Nadim Jaafar  1 , Rahul Sharma  1 , Neeraj Parkash  1 , Eric P Nolley  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Decoding Altered Consciousness: An Artery of Percheron Stroke

Nadim Jaafar et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The artery of Percheron (AOP) is a unique variant of the thalamic and midbrain perforating arteries. It originates from the P1 branch of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) and supplies the bilateral paramedian thalami (BPT) along with variable contributions to the rostral midbrain. Four infarction patterns have been identified as a result of an AOP stroke, each associated with varying prognostic outcomes. We present an 89-year-old female with an AOP infarction and discuss the associated symptoms, implicated anatomy, and prognosis.

Keywords: adult neurology; ascvd; internal medicine; medical icu; neurology and critical care; posterior circulation stroke; stroke.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. MRI fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (MRI-FLAIR)
a) Bilateral thalamic and b) Right-sided rostral midbrain hyperdensity.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)
a) Bilateral thalamic and b) Right-sided rostral midbrain restriction.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Thalamic and midbrain perforating arteries variations
a) Variant I: thalamic and midbrain perforating arteries, each originating separately from the posterior cerebral arteries. b) Variant IIa: thalamic and midbrain perforating arteries originating from one posterior cerebral artery. c) Variant IIb: thalamic and midbrain perforating arteries originating from the artery of Percheron, an arterial trunk arising from the P1 segment of the posterior cerebral artery d) Variant III Thalamic and midbrain perforating arteries arising from the arcade artery, which is an arterial arch that bridges the bilateral P1 segments of the posterior cerebral artery. AA: Arcade artery; AOP: Artery of Percheron; MB: midbrain; MP: Midbrain perforator arteries; TP: Thalamic perforator arteries Image Credit: Author Nadim Jaafar
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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