A brainstem stroke syndrome falls under the broader category of

stroke syndromes A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop function ...

, or specific symptoms caused by vascular injury to an area of brain (for example, the

lacunar syndromes Lacunar stroke or lacunar cerebral infarct (LACI) is the most common type of ischemic stroke, resulting from the Vascular occlusion, occlusion of small penetrating artery, arteries that provide blood to the brain's deep structures. Patients who pr ...

). As the brainstem contains numerous cranial nuclei and

white matter White matter refers to areas of the central nervous system (CNS) that are mainly made up of myelinated axons, also called tracts. Long thought to be passive tissue, white matter affects learning and brain functions, modulating the distributi ...

tracts, a stroke in this area can have a number of unique symptoms depending on the particular blood vessel that was injured and the group of cranial nerves and tracts that are no longer perfused. Symptoms of a brainstem stroke frequently include sudden

vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

and

ataxia Ataxia is a neurological sign consisting of lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements that can include gait abnormality, speech changes, and abnormalities in eye movements. Ataxia is a clinical manifestation indicating dysfunction of ...

, with or without weakness. Brainstem stroke can also cause

diplopia Diplopia is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object that may be displaced horizontally or vertically in relation to each other. Also called double vision, it is a loss of visual focus under regular conditions, and is often v ...

, slurred speech and decreased level of consciousness. A more serious outcome is

locked-in syndrome Locked-in syndrome (LIS), also known as pseudocoma, is a condition in which a patient is aware but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body except for vertical eye movements and bli ...

Syndromes

* The midbrain syndromes (Significant overlap between these three syndromes) ** Superior alternating hemiplegia or

Weber's syndrome Weber's syndrome, also known as midbrain stroke syndrome or superior alternating hemiplegia, is a form of stroke that affects the medial portion of the midbrain. It involves oculomotor fascicles in the interpeduncular cisterns and cerebral peduncl ...

** Paramedian midbrain syndrome or Benedikt's syndrome ** Claude's syndrome *

Medial pontine syndrome Medial inferior pontine syndrome is a condition associated with a contralateral hemiplegia."Medial inferior pontine syndrome" has been described as equivalent to Foville's syndrome. Presentation Although medial pontine syndrome has many similari ...

or Middle alternating hemiplegia or

Foville's syndrome Foville's syndrome is caused by the blockage of the perforating branches of the basilar artery in the region of the brainstem known as the pons. It is most frequently caused by lesions such as vascular disease and tumors involving the dorsal pons. ...

Lateral pontine syndrome A lateral pontine syndrome is a lesion which is similar to the lateral medullary syndrome, but because it occurs in the pons, it also involves the cranial nerve nuclei of the pons. Symptoms Damage to the following areas produces symptoms (from me ...

or Marie-Foix syndrome *

Medial medullary syndrome Medial medullary syndrome, also known as inferior alternating syndrome, hypoglossal alternating hemiplegia, lower alternating hemiplegia, or Dejerine syndrome, is a type of alternating hemiplegia characterized by a set of clinical features result ...

or Inferior alternating hemiplegia *

Lateral medullary syndrome Lateral medullary syndrome is a neurological disorder causing a range of symptoms due to ischemia in the lateral part of the medulla oblongata in the brainstem. The ischemia is a result of a blockage most commonly in the vertebral artery or the p ...

or Wallenberg syndrome

History

A history of locked in syndromes.

Jean-Dominique Bauby

Parisian journalist

Jean-Dominique Bauby Jean-Dominique Bauby (; 23 April 1952 – 9 March 1997) was a French journalist, author and editor of the French fashion magazine ''Elle''. Early life and career Bauby was born in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, and grew up in the 1st arrondi ...

had a stroke in December 1995, and, when he awoke 20 days later, he found his body was almost completely paralyzed; he could control only his left eyelid. By blinking this eye, he slowly dictated one alphabetic character at a time and, in so doing, was able over a great deal of time to write his memoir, '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly''. Three days after it was published in March 1997, Bauby died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

. The 2007 film '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' is a screen adaptation of Bauby's memoir. Jean-Dominique was instrumental in forming the ''Association du Locked-In Syndrome'' (ALIS) in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

References

External links

{{Lesions of spinal cord, brainstem, and cortex Stroke Syndromes affecting the nervous system

Syndromes

History

Jean-Dominique Bauby

See also

References

External links