Preserved cognition and functional independence after a large right posterior cerebral artery infarct: longitudinal clinical and neuropathological findings.
BVR was 77 years old when he sustained a large posterior cerebral artery territory infarct. Medical, cognitive and functional data collected on four occasions over 10 years initially revealed circumscribed neurological signs, no functional or cognitive deficits. BVR became significantly impaired only after two other strokes, 3 years before death. On brain MRI, the lesions involved large portions of the right occipital and temporal cortices, the right thalamus, and the left cerebellum, as well as thinning of the corpus callosum. Postmortem investigations revealed additional recent vascular lesions in the occipital region. This case study underscores the importance of comprehensive assessment methods combining neurological, neuroimaging and cognitive tools.
Piguet
Olivier
O
Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute and the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. o.piguet@unsw.edu.au
Bennett
Hayley P
HP
Waite
Louise M
LM
Kril
Jillian J
JJ
Creasey
Helen
H
Anthony Broe
G
G
Halliday
Glenda M
GM
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002539:Cerebral Arterial Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors