title: Clinical Study of Seven Patients with Infarction in Territories of the Anterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prominent features of anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) infarction are vertigo, cerebellar ataxia, and impaired hearing. The present study investigated neurological characteristics associated with AICA infarction.
  
  
  METHODS
  The locations of infarcts in 7 patients (age, 32-72 years) with AICA infarction were divided into the lower lateral pons, the middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP), and the cerebellum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ischemic lesions were located in the MCP in 6 patients, spread to the lower lateral pons in 3, and involved the cerebellum in 4 patients. Standing posture and gait were impaired in all patients. Five and 4 patients had impaired hearing and vertigo, respectively. Two patients had only symptoms of labyrinthine disease, and 1 had these symptoms accompanied by impaired hearing. The symptoms in 2 patients with the lesion in the lateral pons were consistent with those in Gasperini syndrome. Two of 3 patients without vertigo had ataxia of the extremities. Stenosis of the vertebral artery or basilar artery in 5 patients indicated that the etiology was branch atheromatous disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most prominent symptom of truncal and gait ataxia and the frequent association between vertigo and impaired hearing were consistent with the characteristics of AICA infarction. Two patients without vertigo had ataxia of the trunk and extremities that might have been due to involvement of the dorsal spinocerebellar tract in the inferior cerebellar peduncle.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: ogawa.katsuhiko@nihon-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akimoto
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamei
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065837:Middle Cerebellar Peduncle / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011149:Pons / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014717:Vertigo / Q000209:etiology*
keywords: Anterior inferior cerebellar artery; dorsal spinal cerebellar tract; impaired hearing; truncal ataxia; vertigo