Occlusion of the Superior Cerebellar Artery

Abstract

Six cases of unilateral occlusion of the superior cerebellar artery, 3 with necropsy control, are presented. This condition is characterized by a distinctive clinical syndrome: sudden onset without loss of consciousness, marked usually by vomiting, often by dizziness, and by inability to stand or walk; ipsilateral cerebellar dysfunction particularly tremor of intention, and usually Horner''s syndrome on the side of the lesion; loss of pain and temp. sense or subjective numbness in the total contra-lateral distr.; sometimes contra-lateral impairment of mimetic facial innervation; and inconstant occurrence of nystagmus and hearing loss, not clinically reliable as indices of lateralization. These symptoms arise because of interruption of the brachium conjunctivum, the lateral spinothalamic and quintothalamic pathways, descending oculosympathetic fibers, and sometimes the lateral lemniscus and medial longitudinal bundle in the tegmentum of the rostral pons.