Abstract

Acute infarcts in the territory of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) are rare. Infarction in the territory of the AICA alone involve lateral portion of the pons, the middle cerebellar peduncle and the cerebellar hemisphere either alone or in combination depending on the severity of the lesion. Most patients with unilateral affectation of both middle cerebellar peduncle and inferior lateral pontine area usually present with the main symptoms of vertigo, ataxia, peripheral facial palsy and hypoacusia. Neuroimaging, including magnetic resonance imaging, is strongly recommended for patients with sudden deafness and vertigo to exclude infarction of the vertebral-basilar artery territory. The prognosis is relatively good, but the residual cranial nerve palsies and contralateral superficial sensory disturbance may persist. We discuss a case of AICA infarct and correlate the topography of the lesion by brain MRI.

Key words: Anterior inferior cerebellar artery, Vertebrobasilar infarction, Magnetic resonance imaging