A case report of fifteen-and-a-half syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Fifteen-and-a-Half Syndrome is an uncommon clinical presentation characterized by the coexistence of one-and-a-half syndrome and bilateral facial palsy. In this study, we provide a comprehensive description of symptom evolution and imaging changes in a patient with Fifteen-and-a-Half Syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 54-year-old male presented with sudden onset of one-and-a-half syndrome, which gradually progressed to fifteen-and-a-half syndrome. The final diagnosis was confirmed to be pontine infarction which occurred at the midline of the pontine tegmentum. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the diverse and progressive early clinical manifestations associated with Fifteen-and-a-half Syndrome. Currently, all reported cases of this syndrome are linked to brainstem infarction; however, early differential diagnosis is crucial to ensure prompt initiation of appropriate treatment for affected patients.

Transverse diameter of brainstem infarction is a strong predictor of miserable outcome after mechanical thrombectomy for acute basilar artery occlusion.

Although the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute basilar artery occlusion (ABAO) has been established in two randomized controlled studies, many patients have miserable clinical outcomes after MT for ABAO. Predicting severe disability prior to the procedure might be useful in determining the appropriateness of treatment interventions. Among the ABAO cases treated at 10 hospitals between July 2014 and December 2021, 144 were included in the study, all of whom underwent MRI before treatment. A miserable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 5-6 at 3 months. The associations between clinical, imaging, and procedural factors and miserable outcomes were evaluated. A miserable outcome was observed in 54 cases (37.5%). Multivariate analysis identified the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), transverse diameter of brainstem infarction, and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage as independent factors associated with miserable outcomes, with cutoff values of NIHSS 22 and transverse diameter of brainstem infarction 15 mm. Cases with a higher preoperative severity may result in miserable postoperative outcomes. Particularly, the transverse diameter of a brainstem infarction can be easily measured and serves as a useful criterion for determining treatment indications.

A acute pontine infarction with one-and-a-half syndrome as the manifestation: A case report.

RATIONALE: Sudden ocular dyskinesia is usually associated with ophthalmic diseases and rarely with cerebrovascular diseases. This is a rare case of a patient with a sudden onset of ocular dyskinesia due to occlusion of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery and the spiral modiolar artery. This article describes eye movement disorders associated with cerebrovascular disease, aiming to improve our understanding of cerebrovascular diseases and improve the ability of early diagnosis and differential diagnosis. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 52-year-old man presented with acute pontine cerebral infarction 2 days before presentation. The main symptoms were the inability to adduct and abduct the left eyeball, the ability to abduct but not adduct the right eyeball, and horizontal nystagmus during abduction. Cranial computed tomography in our emergency department suggested cerebral infarction, and magnetic resonance imaging examination after admission confirmed the diagnosis of acute pontine cerebral infarction. DIAGNOSIS: This patient was ultimately diagnosed with acute pontine cerebral infarction. INTERVENTIONS: He received aspirin, clopidogrel, and butylphthalide, as well as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. OUTCOMES: After 10 days of treatment, the patient's paralysis of the eye muscles improved significantly. LESSONS: Eye movement disorders are sometimes an early warning sign of impending vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke. Patients with acute ischemic stroke who have early detection of oculomotor disturbances should be promptly imaged, as missed diagnosis may lead to serious consequences or even death. It provided us with a new diagnostic idea.

Neuroimaging and clinical features of bilateral Wallerian degeneration of middle cerebellar peduncles subsequent to pontine infarction.

OBJECTIVE: Wallerian degeneration (WD) of the middle cerebellar peduncles (MCPs) following pontine infarction is a rare secondary degenerative neurological condition. Due to its infrequency, there is limited research on its characteristics. METHODS: This study aims to present three cases of WD of MCPs following pontine infarction and to analyze the prognosis, clinical manifestations, and neuroimaging features by amalgamating our cases with previously reported ones. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 25 cases, comprising 18 men and 7 women aged 29 to 77 years (mean age: 66.2 years). The majority of patients (94%) exhibit risk factors for cerebrovascular disease, with hypertension being the primary risk factor. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect WD of MCPs within a range of 21 days to 12 months following pontine infarction. This degeneration is characterized by bilateral symmetric hyperintensities on T2/FLAIR-weighted images (WI) lesions in the MCPs. Moreover, restricted diffusion, with hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) signal intensity may be observed as early as 21 days after the infarction. Upon detection of WD, it was observed that 20 patients (80%) remained asymptomatic during subsequent clinic visits, while four (16%) experienced a worsening of pre-existing symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the importance of neurologists enhancing their understanding of this condition by gaining fresh insights into the neuroimaging characteristics, clinical manifestations, and prognosis of individuals with WD of bilateral MCPs.

An analysis of clinical characteristics of rare bilateral medial medullary infarction: An observational study.

This study aimed to characterize the risk factors, etiology, clinical manifestations, anatomical characteristics, stroke mechanisms, imaging features, and prognosis of bilateral medial medullary infarction (BMMI). A retrospective analysis was conducted on 11 patients with BMMI who met the inclusion criteria at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from January 2013 to January 2023. The patients' imaging and clinical features were analyzed and summarized. Eleven patients (7 male, 4 female), aged 46 to 62 years, met the inclusion criteria. Common clinical presentations included dysarthria (90.9%), dysphagia (90.9%), quadriplegia (81.8%), and so on. Within 72 hours of onset, 8 cases presented with quadriplegia, 2 cases with hemiplegia, and 1 case without limb paralysis. The main risk factor for BMMI was hypertension, followed by diabetes. "Heart appearance" infarcts occurred in 4 cases (36.4%), while "Y appearance" infarcts occurred in 7 cases (63.6%). Among the patients, 3 had unilateral vertebral artery stenosis or occlusion, 5 had bilateral vertebral artery stenosis or occlusion, 2 had normal vertebral basilar artery, and 1 did not undergo cerebrovascular examination. All patients received standardized treatment for cerebral infarction. The prognosis was poor, with 81.8% of patients having an unfavorable outcome, including 1 death, 9 cases of disability, and only 1 patient achieving self-care ability after recovery. BMMI is more prevalent in males aged 45 to 60 years. The main risk factors are hypertension and diabetes. Atherosclerosis is the primary etiological subtype. The main clinical manifestations are dyskinesia, dizziness, quadriplegia, and dysarthria. The prognosis of BMMI is poor. The specific imaging features of "heart appearance" or "Y appearance" infarcts aid in the diagnosis of BMMI.

Altered static and dynamic cerebellar-cerebral functional connectivity in acute pontine infarction.

This study investigates abnormalities in cerebellar-cerebral static and dynamic functional connectivity among patients with acute pontine infarction, examining the relationship between these connectivity changes and behavioral dysfunction. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was utilized to collect data from 45 patients within seven days post-pontine infarction and 34 normal controls. Seed-based static and dynamic functional connectivity analyses identified divergences in cerebellar-cerebral connectivity features between pontine infarction patients and normal controls. Correlations between abnormal functional connectivity features and behavioral scores were explored. Compared to normal controls, left pontine infarction patients exhibited significantly increased static functional connectivity within the executive, affective-limbic, and motor networks. Conversely, right pontine infarction patients demonstrated decreased static functional connectivity in the executive, affective-limbic, and default mode networks, alongside an increase in the executive and motor networks. Decreased temporal variability of dynamic functional connectivity was observed in the executive and default mode networks among left pontine infarction patients. Furthermore, abnormalities in static and dynamic functional connectivity within the executive network correlated with motor and working memory performance in patients. These findings suggest that alterations in cerebellar-cerebral static and dynamic functional connectivity could underpin the behavioral dysfunctions observed in acute pontine infarction patients.

Acute peripheral facial paralysis caused by tegmental pontine infarction.

Facial paralysis presents as unilateral mouth drooping and lagophthalmos. The main causes of peripheral facial paralysis are Bell's palsy and Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. However, rarely occurring pontine infarctions of the facial nucleus also manifest a lower motor neuron pattern of facial paralysis. We report a case of a man in his 50s who presented to the emergency department with unilateral peripheral facial paralysis. The initial diffusion-weighted images were unremarkable, and the patient was managed as per guidelines for hypertensive encephalopathy or Bell's palsy. On the 3rd day after admission, he was diagnosed with left pontine infarction and suspected infarction of the left anterior inferior cerebellar artery. We propose that in similar cases, re-examination of imaging results should be considered, as diffusion-weighted imaging is characteristically prone to generate false-negative results in patients with early onset or posterior circulation infarction.

Body representation after a stroke in the brainstem.

BACKGROUND: Lesion occurring in the brainstem may cause a postural tilt and balance disorders, which could be due to an inaccurate perception of the body orientation. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a brainstem stroke on body representation in horizontal and frontal plane, and links with impaired posture and neuroanatomy. METHODS: Forty patients with stroke in left brainstem (L-BS) or right (R-BS) were compared with 15 matched control subjects (C). The subjective straight-ahead (SSA) was investigated using a method disentangling lateral deviation and tilt components of error. RESULTS: The L-BS patients had contralesional lateral deviation of SSA. In addition, they showed an ipsilesional tilt, more severe for the trunk than for the head. By contrast, in R-BS patients, the representation of the body midline was fairly accurate in both the horizontal and frontal planes and did not differ from that of control subjects. CONCLUSION: This work highlights an asymmetry of representation of body associated with left brainstem lesions extending to the right cerebral hemisphere. This deviation appears only after a left lesion, which may point to a vestibular dominance. These results open a new perspective of neuro-rehabilitation of postural disorders after a stroke, with the correction of the representation of body orientation.

A SUNCT-like headache associated with lateral pontine infarction - case series and systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) and autonomic symptoms (SUNA) are trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TACs). The study explores the potential association between SUNCT/SUNA-like headaches and lateral pontine infarctions. METHODS: Case series and systematic review. RESULTS: We present three cases diagnosed with SUNCT following lateral pontine infarction on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), along with a review of these cases and 10 others from the literature. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This review suggests a connection between SUNCT/SUNA-like symptoms and lateral pontine infarctions. The section also delves into the anatomy and pathophysiology of these symptoms, proposing a mechanism involving neural pathway remodelling in the lateral brainstem.

A New Neurological Screening Approach for Diagnosing Brainstem Infarction Using the Calling Method and Familiar Voices.

This report proposes a new approach to assess dysarthria in patients with brainstem infarction by involving familiar individuals. Collaboration provides valuable insights compared to subjective traditional methods. A man in his 70s presented with resolved positional vertigo. Standard neurological tests showed no abnormalities, and inquiries with the patient's friend did not reveal voice changes. While inquiring about voice changes with family, friends, and acquaintances is a common practice in clinical settings, our approach involved the patient calling out to his friend from a distance. Despite the physician detecting no abnormalities, the friend noticed a lower voice. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed brainstem infarction. Early and subtle symptoms of brainstem infarction pose a detection challenge and can lead to serious outcomes if overlooked. This report provides the first evidence that distance calling can detect subtle voice changes associated with brainstem infarction potentially overlooked by conventional neurological examinations, including inquiries with individuals familiar with the patient's voice. Detecting brainstem infarction in emergency department cases is often missed, but conducting MRIs on every patient is not feasible. This simple method may identify patients overlooked by conventional screening who should undergo neuroimaging such as MRI. Further research is needed, and involving non-professionals in assessments could significantly advance the diagnostic process.

"Uncrossed Central Facial Paralysis" Caused by Pontine Infarction: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: We report a patient with extraordinary pontine infarction-induced contralateral central facial palsy and weakened limb strength. CASE REPORT: This is a 66-year-old man with left arm movement difficulty for 10 days and worsening over the last 1 day. His left nasolabial fold flattening and left arm strength and sensory were decreased. He could not complete the finger-nose test well with his right hand. Magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance angiography tests confirmed his right pontine acute infarction but without large vessel stenosis or occlusion. CONCLUSION: "Uncrossed paralysis" patients may present with contralateral face and body weakness with pontine infarcts, if the infarct occurs above the level of the facial nucleus head, and may be simmilar with the higher level pontine lesions or cerebrum semisphere infarction, which need particular attention during clinical practice.

Neuroimaging markers of early neurological deterioration in acute isolated pontine infarction.

BACKGROUND: Imaging indicators of early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with acute isolated pontine infarctions (AIPI) remained ambiguous. We aimed to find more specific neuroimaging markers for the development of END in patients with AIPI. METHODS: Patients with AIPI within 72 h of stroke onset were screened from a stroke database from January 2018 to July 2021 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, and imaging parameters were collected. The layers having the largest infarct area on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and T2 sequences were chosen. On the transverse plane of DWI and sagittal plane of T2-Flair images, the maximum length (a, m) and maximum width (b, n) vertical to the length of the infarcted lesions were measured respectively. On the sagittal plane of T2-Flair image, the maximum ventrodorsal length (f) and rostrocaudal thickness (h) were measured. On the sagittal plane, lesions were evenly split into upper, middle, and lower types based on the lesion's location in the pons. The ventral and dorsal types of location were separated based on whether the ventral borders of the pons were involved on transvers plane. END was defined as a ≥2 point increase in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) total score or a ≥1 point increase in the motor items within 72 h after admission. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to explore risk factors associated with END. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the area under the curve (AUC) was performed to estimate the discriminative power and determine the optimal cut-off points of imaging parameters on the prediction of END. RESULTS: A total of 218 patients with AIPI were included in the final analysis. END occurred in 61 cases (28.0%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the ventral type of lesion location was associated with END in all models adjusted. In addition, in Model 1, b (odds ratio (OR) 1.145, 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.007-1.301) and n (OR 1.163, 95% CI 1.012-1.336); in Model 2, b*n (OR 1.010, 95% CI 1.002-1.018); in Model 3, n (OR 1.179, 95% CI, 1.028-1.353); and in Model 4, b (OR 1.143, 95% CI 1.006-1.298) and n (OR 1.167, 95% CI 1.016-1.341) were found to be associated with END respectively after different adjustments. ROC curve analysis with END showed that the AUC, the optimal cut-off value, and its sensitivity and specificity were 0.743 (0.671-0.815), 9.850 mm, and 68.9% and 79.0% for b; 0.724 (0.648-0.801), 10.800 mm, and 57.4% and 80.9% for n; and 0.772 (0.701-0.842), 108.274 mm2, and 62.3% and 85.4% for b*n, respectively (b*n vs b: P =0.213; b*n vs n: P =0.037; b vs n: P =0.645). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that besides the ventral type of lesion location, the maximum width of lesion on the transverse plane of DWI and sagittal plane of T2 image (b, n) may be imaging markers for the development of END in AIPI patients, and the product of the two (b*n) showed a better prediction value on the risks of END.

Morphological predictors of neurological deterioration in patients with acute isolated pontine infarct.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate morphological predictors of neurological deterioration (ND) in patients with acute isolated pontine infarct. METHODS: Acute isolated pontine infarct patients within 7 days after onset of stroke symptoms were included retrospectively and classified into ND and non-ND groups. Morphological phenotypes (paramedian pontine infarct [PPI], atypical PPI, small deep infarct, and other types), topographical location, and lesion size were evaluated on axial diffusion-weighted imaging. RESULTS: There were 210 eligible patients, of whom 62 patients had ND (29.5%). The proportion of PPI was significantly higher in ND than that in non-ND (62.9% vs 39.6%). ND occurred more frequently in PPI patients than non-PPI patients (39.8% vs 20.5%). PPI located more frequently in lower pontine (20.4% vs 8.0%) and less in upper pontine (17.3% vs 30.4%, P = 0.028), and had larger ventro-dorsal length (13.8 ± 3.8 vs 9.9 ± 3.1) and width (8.3 ± 2.3 vs 6.2 ± 1.8) than non-PPI patients. The morphological phenotype of PPI was an independent risk factor for ND (OR 4.81, 95%CI 1.54-15.07, P = 0.007) in patients with isolated pontine infarct. The ventro-dorsal length of pontine infarct lesion was associated with ND (OR 1.18, 95%CI 1.01, 1.37, P = 0.034) in PPI patients. CONCLUSIONS: The morphological phenotype of PPI was a potential predictor for ND in patients with acute isolated pontine infarct. The ventro-dorsal length of pontine infarct lesion was possibly associated with ND in PPI patients.