Items tagged “brainstem”

Weber syndrome is a midbrain stroke syndrome that involves the cerebral peduncle and the ipsilateral fascicles of the oculomotor nerve 1-3,5. Occasionally the substantia nigra can also be involved 5.  Clinical presentation ipsilateral CN III palsy diplopia ptosis  afferent pupillary defect ...

The brainstem is the most caudal part of the brain. It adjoins, is structurally continuous with the spinal cord and consists of the: midbrain (mesencephalon) pons (part of the metencephalon) medulla oblongata (myelencephalon) The brainstem provides the main motor and sensory innervation to t...

The medulla oblongata (or simply the medulla) is the most caudal part of the brainstem between the pons superiorly and spinal cord inferiorly. It is the transition from the spinal cord to the brain. The medulla contains the vital autonomic cardiovascular and respiratory centers controlling hear...

The brainstem nuclei are the nuclei in the brainstem. These include: cranial nerve nuclei red nucleus substantia nigra

Duret hemorrhages are small, usually multiple, hemorrhages in the midbrain or pons resulting from rapidly developing brain herniation, especially central herniation. They generally have a dismal prognosis. Clinical presentation The clinical presentation from Duret hemorrhages is difficult to d...

Lateral medullary syndrome, also known as Wallenberg syndrome, is a clinical syndrome caused by acute ischemia or infarction of the lateral medulla oblongata due to occlusion of the intracranial portion of the vertebral artery, PICA or its branches 1-3.  Epidemiology 20% of ischemic strokes oc...

Bilateral lesions of the middle cerebellar peduncles, resulting in the middle cerebellar peduncle sign, are uncommon and can be seen either in isolation (rare) or along with other regions of involvement. Despite their relative rarity, they have a fairly long list of potential causes (see below)...

Benedikt syndrome, or paramedian midbrain syndrome, is a midbrain stroke syndrome that involves the fascicles of the oculomotor nerve and the red nucleus. Clinical presentation ipsilateral CN III palsy 1-4 crossed hemiataxia 1-4 crossed choreoathetosis 1-4 Pathology It is us...

Brainstem stroke syndromes, also known as crossed brainstem syndromes, refer to a group of syndromes that occur secondary to lesions, most commonly infarcts, of the brainstem. Epidemiology Although many different brainstem stroke syndromes have been classically described, the majority appear e...

Medial medullary syndrome, also known as Déjerine syndrome,  is secondary to thrombotic or embolic occlusion of small perforating branches from vertebral or proximal basilar artery supplying the medial aspect of medulla oblongata1,2. Epidemiology Represents less than 1% of brainstem stroke syn...

Claude syndrome is one of the brainstem stroke syndromes in which there is infarction of the dorsomedial aspect of the midbrain. Clinical presentation Clinical picture is characteristic and includes ipsilateral oculomotor nerve palsy and contralateral upper and lower limb ataxia 1-4. Patholog...

Inferior medial pontine syndrome, also known as Foville syndrome, is one of the brainstem stroke syndromes occurring when there is infarction of the medial inferior aspect of the pons due to occlusion of the paramedian branches of the basilar artery 1-3. This infarction involves the following 1-...

Lateral pontine syndrome, also known as Marie-Foix syndrome or Marie-Foix-Alajouanine syndrome, refers to one of the brainstem stroke syndromes of the lateral aspect of the pons. Clinical presentation There is a characteristic clinical presentation 1,2,4: ipsilateral limb ataxia: cerebellar ...

Hemimedullary syndrome, also known as Reinhold syndrome, occurs as a result of the occlusion of the ipsilateral vertebral artery proximal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery and its anterior spinal artery branches 1-3. This situation causes lateral medullary infarct and medial medullary ...

Millard-Gubler syndrome, also known as ventral pontine syndrome, is one of the crossed paralysis syndromes, which are characterized by cranial nerves VI and VII palsies with contralateral body motor or sensory disturbances 1-3. Clinical presentation ipsilateral facial and contralateral body he...

Raymond syndrome is a posterior circulatory stroke syndrome due to a lesion in the ventral medial mid-pons. It is an extremely rare condition, with only a handful of cases described in the literature. Clinical presentation Clinically, 2 subtypes have been reported 1: classic type abducens ne...

The rule of 4 of the brainstem elegantly simplifies and explains the anatomy of the brainstem and the basis for various brainstem stroke syndromes. This article summarizes the original four rules 1-3, associated important clinical deficits, important exceptions, and provides two examples of thei...

Nothnagel syndrome is a rare midbrain syndrome that involves the tectum of the midbrain (quadrigeminal plate) and superior cerebellar peduncles 1-4,6. Clinical presentation Classically, the syndrome involves the oculomotor nerve fascicles and superior cerebellar peduncle, leading to ipsilatera...

Babinski-Nageotte syndrome is thought to be a brainstem stroke syndrome in between that of the hemimedullary syndrome (Reinhold syndrome) and the lateral medullary syndrome (Wallenberg syndrome), but distinct to that of Cestan-Chenais syndrome 1,2.  Terminology In many texts this eponymous syn...

Internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) describes a clinical syndrome of impaired adduction in one eye with dissociated horizontal nystagmus of the other abducting eye, due to a lesion in the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) ipsilateral to the eye unable to adduct. It is a common finding in multi...