Artery of Percheron infarcts -study of 5 cases - case series

Abstract

The artery of percheron (AOP) is an anatomical variant, where a single artery originates from the proximal posterior cerebral artery (PCA). If blocked, it will cause infarction in both thalamus-paramedian areas, with or without affecting the midbrain. It is extremely uncommon and found only in 4-12% of individuals. The frequency of bilateral thalamic infarction due to AOP occlusion is uncertain as it is frequently misidentified. It makes up 0.1–2.0% of all ischemic strokes and around 4–18% of thalamic strokes. In this series, we explore the diverse clinical symptoms and imaging results in AOP stroke. We report 5 cases of artery of percheron stroke admitted in our hospital with varied symptoms like altered sensorium, hypersomnolence, reduced consciousness and one patient with hallucinations .It poses a great diagnostic difficulty because of the varied clinical presentation .