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

ABSTRACT

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.