Ischemic Stroke: Impairment by localization
Contralateral weakness and sensory loss in the lower extremity
Authors: Andrea Kuczynski Yvette Ysabel Yao Reviewers: Sina Marzoughi Usama Malik Mao Ding Andrew M Demchuk* * MD at time of publication
Ischemia in the anterior cerebral artery
Motor and sensory cortices of lower limb damage
Hypertension,
dyslipidemias, diabetes, smoking
Atherosclerosis, thrombosis, or stenosis (narrowing) in respective blood vessels
Ischemia: ↓ blood flow
(See Ischemic Stroke: Pathogenesis slide)
Left hemisphere damage
Right hemisphere damage
Motor and sensory cortices of upper limb and face damage
Urinary incontinence Aphasia (inability to comprehend or produce
Ischemia in
the middle cerebral artery (MCA)
MCA divides into segments
language) (See Aphasia slide)
Left sided agnosia (visual perceptual deficits)
Contralateral hemiparesis (weakness on side of body opposite to injury) & sensory deficits, visual field deficits, aphasia, agnosia (inability to process sensory information), apraxia (motor planning deficits) & agraphia (inability to communicate by writing)
M1-MCA (sphenoidal segment)
M2-MCA (insular segment)
Ischemia in the posterior cerebral artery
Spares the lower extremity, affects the upper extremity and face
Lesion to frontal lobe (Broca area) Infarction of occipital cortex
Lesion to superior temporal gyrus of temporal lobe (Wernicke area)
No homonymous hemianopsia (one-sided visual field loss) Expressive Broca’s/motor aphasia (inability to produce language)
Contralateral homonymous hemianopsia
(visual field loss on opposite side)
Receptive Wernicke’s/sensory aphasia
(inability to comprehend language)
Sensory loss, memory loss, contralateral homonymous hemianopsia & alexia (reading difficulty)
Ischemia of the occipital lobe, posteromedial temporal lobes, midbrain & thalamus
Ischemia in the vertebral basilar artery
Ischemia in the basilar artery
Ischemia of brainstem & medulla
Ischemia of midbrain, thalami, inferior temporal & occipital lobes
Cranial nerve disorders: dysarthria (slurred/slowed speech) (IX, X), diplopia (double vision), facial numbness or paresthesia (VII), Foville’s syndrome (ipsilateral cerebellar ataxia), Horner’s syndrome, (paresis of conjugate gaze and contralateral hemiparesis, facial palsy, pain & thermal hypoesthesia)
Motor deficits: Millard-Gubler syndrome (pons lesion), Raymond’s syndrome (ipsilateral abducens impairment, contralateral central facial paresis & contralateral hemiparesis), Wallenburg syndrome (sensory deficits in the contralateral limb, ipsilateral face), ataxia (abnormal gait), unilateral or bilateral sensory loss of position & vibration
Cranial nerve disorders: dysconjugate gaze (unpaired eye movements) (III, IV, VI), ipsilateral facial hypoalgesia (↓ pain sensitivity) (V), unilateral lower motor neuron face paralysis (VII), vertigo (spinning sensation), dysarthria (weak speech muscles) (IX, X)
Motor deficits: contralateral hemiparesis, quadriplegia (paralysis of all 4 limbs), contralateral limb hypoalgesia
Legend:
Pathophysiology
Mechanism
Sign/Symptom/Lab Finding
Complications
First published February 3, 2018, updated February 28, 2023 on www.thecalgaryguide.com