Sharma Aishwarya, Bande Dinesh, Matta Abhishek
Infectious Diseases, Sanford Health, Fargo, USA.
Internal Medicine, University of North Dakota School of Medicine, Fargo, USA.
Cureus. 2021 Jan 26;13(1):e12918. doi: 10.7759/cureus.12918.
The artery of Percheron (AOP) is a rare anatomical variant of the paramedian thalamic vessels in 7-10% of the general population. An AOP infarct can present with rare clinical manifestations like transient loss of consciousness (LOC) and lethargy, as was seen in the patient whose case is discussed in this report, due to the plethora of regulatory inputs and outputs by the thalamus, which cannot be compensated for because of the absence of anastomotic connections. The AOP supplies the reticular activating system (RAS), which regulates consciousness. Ischemia to this area from an AOP infarct can result in the transient LOC, which our patient experienced. The AOP is a small vessel that is often missed on a CT angiogram (CTA) alone due to low resolution. As a result, it is imperative that clinicians utilize MRI to diagnose AOP infarcts in patients who present with symptoms that raise concerns for decreased bilateral thalamic function and transient LOC.
佩谢隆动脉（AOP）是中脑旁正中丘脑血管的一种罕见解剖变异，在普通人群中的发生率为7% - 10%。AOP梗死可表现出如短暂意识丧失（LOC）和嗜睡等罕见临床表现，正如本报告中所讨论病例的患者那样，这是由于丘脑存在过多的调节性输入和输出，且因缺乏吻合连接而无法得到代偿。AOP为调节意识的网状激活系统（RAS）供血。AOP梗死导致该区域缺血可引起短暂性LOC，我们的患者就经历了这一情况。AOP是一条小血管，由于分辨率低，仅通过CT血管造影（CTA）往往会被漏诊。因此，对于出现双侧丘脑功能减退和短暂性LOC相关症状的患者，临床医生必须利用MRI来诊断AOP梗死。
