Medial pontine syndrome

Medial pontine syndrome

Pons. (Medial pontine syndrome affects structures at the bottom of the diagram: the corticospinal tract, abducens nerve, and occasionally the facial nerve. Medial lemniscus is also affected, but not pictured.)
Classification and external resources
ICD-10 G46.3

Medial inferior pontine syndrome is a condition associated with a contralateral hemiplegia.

"Medial inferior pontine syndrome" has been described as equivalent to Foville's syndrome.[1]

Presentation

Although medial pontine syndrome has many similarities to medial medullary syndrome, because it is located higher up the brainstem in the pons, it affects a different set of cranial nuclei.

Structure affected Presentation
Corticospinal tract Contralateral spastic hemiparesis
Medial lemniscus Contralateral PCML aka DCML pathway] loss (tactile, vibration, and stereognosis)
Abducens nerve Strabismus (ipsilateral lateral rectus muscle paralysis - the affected eye looks down and towards the nose). Abducens nerve lesion localizes the lesion to inferior pons.

Depending upon the size of the infarct, it can also involve the facial nerve.

Cause

Human brainstem blood supply description. Basilar artery is #7, and pons is visible below it.

Medial pontine syndrome results from occlusion of paramedian branches of the basilar artery.

References

  1. ↑ Hubloue I, Laureys S, Michotte A (September 1996). "A rare case of diplopia: medial inferior pontine syndrome or Foville's syndrome". Eur J Emerg Med 3 (3): 194–8. doi:10.1097/00063110-199609000-00011. PMID 9023501.

External links