Radiographic conjugate horizontal eye deviation in patients with acute cerebellar infarction.

BACKGROUNDS: Conjugate eye deviation (CED) has not been fully investigated in patients with acute cerebellar infarction. We investigated the incidence of CED on neurological examination and head imaging with acute cerebellar infarction and associations of CED with the involved vascular territory, lesion site and other clinical factors.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical records and imaging in patients with acute cerebellar infarction within 12h after onset. We defined radiographic CED as deviation of each eye to the same side >10° on head imaging.

RESULTS: Thirty-five patients with acute cerebellar infarction were identified (22 men; age range, 37-85 years). No patients showed CED on neurological examination, but 13 (37%) had radiographic CED, mostly contralateral to the lesion. As for infract location, the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) territory (44% vs. 20%, p=0.18) and flocculonodular lobe and/or vermis (54% vs. 32%, p=0.20) tended to be more involved in patients with radiographic CED than in those without.

CONCLUSIONS: Radiographic CED seems relatively common in patients with acute cerebellar infarction, particularly the PICA territory infarcts including the flocculonodular lobe and/or vermis.