"Release hallucinations" as the major symptom of posterior cerebral artery occlusion: a report of 2 cases.
Visual hallucinations were the presenting symptoms in 2 patients with probable infarcts in the territory of a posterior cerebral artery. They occurred in areas of paracentral scotomas, right in Patient 1 and left in Patient 2. In Patient 1 they were formed, prolonged, and not apparently related to past experience. In Patient 2 they were at first paroxysmal and unformed, with more prolonged metamorphopsia; later there appeared to be palinoptic formed images, possibly postictal in nature. Such hallucinations appear to be of a "release" type, and may be more common than is generally appreciated in patients with posterior cerebral artery occlusion.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012607:Scotoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014794:Visual Fields