posterior cerebral artery syndrome

Etiology

• occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA)

Pathology

• may affect the occipital lobe, the inferomedial temporal lobe, a large portion of the thalamus, the midbrain & pons
• occlusion of the proximal portion of the PCA produce only minor deficits due to the collateral blood flow from the opposite hemisphere via the posterior communicating artery; distal occlusions result in more serious deficits

Clinical manifestations

• contralateral homonymous hemianopsia
• cortical blindness with bilateral involvement of the occipital lobe branches
• visual agnosia
• prosopagnosia
• dyslexia, anomic aphasia, color naming & discrimination difficulty
• memory impairment
• topographic disorientation
• thalamic pain, dysesthesias & sensory impairments
• involuntary movements: chorea, intention tremor, hemiballismus
• contralateral hemiplegia
• Weber's syndrome: occulomotor nerve palsy

Laboratory

• see ischemic stroke

Radiology

• see ischemic stroke

Management

• see ischemic stroke

More general terms

• ischemic stroke
• syndrome

Additional terms

• posterior cerebral artery