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External carotid steal and lateral medullary infarction—is there a pathogenetic connection?

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Summary

The case of a patient with occlusion of the external carotid artery is reported; he suffered from vertebrobasilar insufficiency with Wallenberg's syndrome. Arteriography showed stealing of intracranial blood from the vertebral artery via the occipital artery, and thromboendarterectomy was successfully performed. Since no localised processes could be demonstrated could the lateral medullary infarction be due to the haemodynamic changes? In cases of external carotid steal thromboendarterectomy might be the appropriate treatment.

Zusammenfassung

Es wird der Fallbericht eines Patienten mitgeteilt, der bei einem Verschluß der A. carotis externa das Bild einer vertebrobasilären Insuffizienz mit Wallenberg-Syndrom bot. Die Arteriographie zeigte ein Steal-Syndrom aus der A. vertebralis über die Occipitalarterie. Eine erfolgreich durchgeführte Thrombendarteriektomie brachte Beschwerdefreiheit. Bei fehlenden lokalisierten Gefäßveränderungen muß die Möglichkeit der hämodynamischen Verursachung des lateralen Oblongatasyndromes diskutiert werden. In solchen Fällen könnte die Thrombendarteriektomie eine kausale Behandlungsmethode darstellen.

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Berlit, P., Betz, H. & Krause, KH. External carotid steal and lateral medullary infarction—is there a pathogenetic connection?. Arch Psychiatr Nervenkr 233, 263–269 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00343601

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00343601

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