1981 Volume 3 Issue 3 Pages 275-279
Wallenberg's syndrome is characterized by acute bulbar paralysis and dissociated sensory disturbance due to ischemic damage of the lateral portion of the medulla oblongata. This syndrome occurs more often due to occlusion of the vertabral artery than the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA).
This was a report of a case of hypoplastic right vertebral artery and PICA which were considered to be a cause of Wallenberg's syndrome.
This 46 year old female with essential hypertension of five years' duration suddenly developed nausea, vomiting, headache, vertigo, dysarthria and dysphagia. Wallenberg's syndrome was diagnosed on the basis of the neurological examination. Bilateral vertebral angiography was performed one month after the onset. Left vertebral angiography was unremarkable, but right vertebral angiography revealed a hypoplastic right vertebral artery. The PICA was also hypoplastic, particularly in its proximal segment. From the distal portion of the vertebral artery to the proximal segment of the PICA, the arterial wall was irregular, suggesting recanalization of thrombotic occlusion.
