title: Posttraumatic infarction in the territory supplied by the lateral lenticulostriate artery after minor head injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Occlusion of the intracranial arteries due to blunt head traumas has been less frequently observed in patients with minor head injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 4-year-old boy presented with speech disturbance 2 h after minor head injury. An initial computed tomography (CT) scan showed a questionable finding of a focal punctate high density in the left basal ganglia. Hemiparesis developed on the right limbs 8 h post-injury, and a subsequent CT scan revealed a discrete low-density change around the focal high density. Diffusion-weighted images revealed a clearly demarcated high-signal intensity lesion in similar area on T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences images, compatible with infarcted tissues on the territory supplied by the lateral lenticulostriate artery. His hemiparesis improved gradually, and by post-trauma day 10 he was able to walk briefly without assistance. He was discharged on foot at post-trauma day 14.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with minor head trauma who have normal findings on initial CT scan may rarely have basal ganglionic infarction resulting from arterial spasm or thromboembolism of the perforating arteries. Hospital admission and careful observation should be considered for patients with minor head injury and persistent neurologic deficits despite normal CT findings. Magnetic resonance study is valuable for the evaluation of posttraumatic infarction, differentiating from hemorrhagic diffuse axonal injuries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Pochon CHA Medical University, Sungnam, South Korea. jyahn@cha.ac.kr
authors.forename: Jung Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: In Bo
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Young Sun
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Pyeong Ho
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Sang Heum
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods