Chapter 2 - Stroke Syndromes Flashcards
1. Cortical Strokes - Anterior Cerebral Artery - Middle Cerebral Artery - Posterior Cerebral Artery 2. Subcortical Strokes - Lacunar Syndromes 3. Brainstem Strokes - Midbrain Syndromes - Pontine Syndromes - Medullary Syndromes 4. Cerebellar Strokes
How does the pattern of motor and sensory deficits differentiate cortical from subcortical involvement?
Cortical lesions
Often involve the face, arm, and trunk, but spare the legs, which are located in the interhemispheric fissure
Subcortical lesions
Cause a complete hemiparesis, affecting face, arm, and leg because fibers will decent from the cortex to form internal capsule and pyramidal tract.
Neurolog Secrets 6th Edition Chapter 3 pg46
How does the type of sensory deficit differentiate cortical from subcortical lesions by history?
Most of the primary sensory modalities reach “consciousness” in the thalamus and do not require the cortex for their perception.
Patient with severe cortical damage can still feel pain, touch, vibration, and position.
History of significant numbness or sensory loss, therefore, suggests a subcortical lesion.
Neurolog Secrets 6th Edition Chapter 3 pg46
For i.e. PCA stroke will involve the Thalamus, that’s why the patient will have complete sensory loss.
How do visual symptoms differentiate cortical from subcortical disease by history?
Subcortical lesions often affect the visual fibers, producing visual field cuts. Therefore, a history of visual field loss suggests a subcortical lesion.
Unless strictly cortical lesion in the occipital lobes produces visual symptoms, but it does not affect motor, sensory, or other functions.
Neurology Secrets 6th Edition Chapter 3 pg46
Anterior Cerebral Artery (ACA) Clinical features 🔑🔑
- Contralateral weakness/sensory loss (distal contralateral leg > upper extremity)
- Head and eye deviation toward the lesion (away from hemiplegic limbs)
- Gait apraxia
- Mutism (Abulia): Lack of will, drive, or initiative for action, speech and thought
- Urinary incontinence
- Contralateral grasp reflex (primitive reflexes)
- Paratonic rigidity
- Transcortical motor aphasia (on left)
Cuccurollo 4th Edition Chapter 1 Stroke pg10
Stroke Rehabilitation Clinician Handbook 2020 Model 1 pg6
What is abulia?
- Difficulty in initiating and sustaining purposeful movements
- Lack of spontaneous movement
- Reduced spontaneous speech
- Increased response-time to queries
- Passivity
- Reduced emotional responsiveness and spontaneity
- Reduced social interactions
- Reduced interest in usual pastimes
Complications of Bilateral ACA infarction 🔑🔑 EXAM
- Aphasia
- Incontinence
- Paraplegia (BL Lower limbs weakness)
- Frontal lobe dysfunction (emotional instability, disinhibition, apathy)
Cuccurollo 4th Edition Chapter 1 Stroke pg11
- Appearance of primitive reflexes.
- Abulia
Stroke Rehabilitation Clinician Handbook 2020 Model 1 pg6
Superior vs Inferior vs Left vs Right MCA
List 4 features of occlusion of superior branch MCA 🔑🔑
List 4 features of Bilateral MCA complication 🔑🔑
Superior MCA
- Contralateral motor deficits face and arm > leg.
- Contralateral sensory loss face and arm > leg.
- Head and eyes deviated toward side of infarct
Inferior MCA
- Superior quantrantonopsia or homonymous hemianopsia (SQ or HH)
- Left hemispheric: Wernicke’s aphasia
- Right hemispheric: Left visual neglect
Left MCA
- Aphasia
- Apraxia
- Dysphagia
Right MCA
- Neglect
- Anosognosia (Body part / illness)
- Astereognosis (Objects)
- Agraphesthesia (Number & Words)
- Apraxia: dressing and construction
Cuccurollo 4th Edition Chapter 1 pg10
Stroke Rehabilitation Clinician Handbook 2020 Model 1 pg7
Gerstmann Syndrome 🔑
What is the anatomy, vascular supply, as well as signs and symptoms?
ANATOMY: Dominant parietal lobe (angular gyrus)
VASCULAR: MCA.
SIGN AND SYMPTOMS
- Agraphia (inability to write).
- Acalculia (inability to calculate).
- Right-left confusion.
- Finger agnosia (inability to recognize fingers).
- Ideomotor apraxia (may be associated).
Posterior cerebellar artery supply which areas in the brain? 3 marks 🔑🔑
- Upper brainstem
- Inferior parts of the temporal lobe
- Medial parts of the occipital lobe.
Cuccurollo 4th Edition Chapter 1 Stroke pg11
Two cranial nerves supplied by PCA 🔑🔑
Two syndromes associated with PCA 🔑🔑
💡 Remember it supplies upper brainstem (midbrain):
- Oculomotor cranial nerve (CN3) → Weber syndrome (oculomotor palsy with contralateral hemiplegia)
- Trochlear (CN4) nuclei and nerves → Trochlear nerve palsy (vertical gaze palsy).
List 4 clinical findings post PCA infarct
PCA INFARCTION
- Contralateral hemiplegia
- Contralateral sensory loss (Thalamus)
- Face Blind → Prosopagnosia (cannot read faces)
- Cortical blindness with bilateral involvement of the occipital lobe branches
- Self Blind → Visual agnosia (Can’t recognize his visual loss)
- Word Blind → Alexia without agraphia
- Contralateral homonymous hemianopsia
- Palinopsia (abnormal recurring visual imagery)
- Impaired Memory
- Weber syndrome (oculomotor palsy with contralateral hemiplegia)
- Trochlear nerve palsy (vertical gaze palsy)
- Topographic disorientation
Cuccurollo 4th Edition Chapter 1 Stroke pg12
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior_cerebral_artery_syndrome
ANTON SYNDROME
Combination of cortical blindness, denial of blindness and memory impairment
It is typically associated with bilateral posterior cerebral artery infarctions
Neurology Secrets 6th Edition Chapter 17 pg214
What is prosopagnosia? localize the lesion. 🔑🔑
Hint: which gyrus from the faces?
💡 Lesion inferior occipital region, fusiform (face forming) gyrus, and temporal cortex.
Face blindness, patient cannot recognize people’s faces.
Posterior cerebral arteries (posterior cerebral circulation) affecting inferior occipital region and temporal cortex.
Why lacunar stroke has better prognosis? 4 marks 🔑
- Smaller strokes (<15 mm)
- No cortical symptoms
- No LOC, coma or seizures.
- No sensory changes
Ref: first principles.
What branch do lacunar infarcts normally occur? 🔑🔑
Ref: Braddom pg 1185-87
Netter’s concise neuroanatomy pg 62.
What are the risk factors for lacunar stroke? 🔑
💡 Typical 50-60 yrs old patient with pure motor syndrome.
- Hypertension
- Diabetes mellitus
- Hyperlipidemia
- Smoking