[A study of infarction in the region of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery].

Sixteen patients with infarction in the region supplied by the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) were studied to assess the mechanism and its clinical features. Risk factors involved hypertension, diabetes mellitus, a history of cerebrovascular disease and hyperlipidemia in seven patients (44%), while smoking was found in six (38%). The pathogenesis of these patients was thought to be thrombotic in all 16 patients, and lesions of the vertebrobasilar system were noted in 7 out of 13 patients (54%) who underwent cerebral angiography. Gasperini syndrome (AICA syndrome+abducens paralysis) occurred in two patients (13%), and five patients (31%) showed only cerebellar ataxia (3 had infarction confined to the middle cerebellar penduncle and 2 had infarction confined to the cerebellar hemisphere). As a result of analysis of clinical symptoms in nine patients with the incomplete AICA syndrome, loss of hearing in six patients (67%) and cerebellar ataxia in all nine patients were noted. We postulated that large-artery occlusive disease or branch atheromatous disease resulted in an infarction in the region of the AICA. It is necessary to consider infarction of the AICA region in patients who present a unilateral hearing loss and cerebellar ataxia.