'Infarction in the territory of anterior inferior cerebellar artery: spectrum of audiovestibular loss', Stroke, 40: 3745-51. 'Auditory disturbance as a prodrome of anterior inferior cerebellar artery infarction', J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 74: 1644-8. Autopsy and temporal bone histopathologic study', Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol, 99: 261-72. 'Clinical diagnosis of anterior inferior cerebellar artery thrombosis. 'Auditory dysfunction in stroke', Acta Otolaryngol, 120: 689-703. 'Systematic review of the evidence for the etiology of adult sudden sensorineural hearing loss', Laryngoscope, 120: 1011-21. Mechanisms and clinical features', Arch Neurol, 50: 154-61. 'Anterior inferior cerebellar artery territory infarcts. 'Cerebellar infarction in the territory of the superior cerebellar artery: a clinicopathologic study of 33 cases', Neurology, 40: 1383-90.Īmarenco, P., A. A clinicopathological study of 20 cases', Brain, 113 ( Pt 1): 139-55. 'Cerebellar infarction in the territory of the anterior and inferior cerebellar artery. The image above shows a pontine stroke attributed to an AICA infarct. AICA territory strokes may also present with vertigo alone.ĭiagnosis is generally via MRI. Take origin from the caudal to middle pons. The AICA also has a very variable origin and may Suggests a vascular cause, but most AICA strokes present with unilateral hearing symptoms. TIA's in this distribution (Lee and Cho, 2003). Symptoms similar to Meniere'sĭisease (fluctuating hearing, tinnitus, vertigo) can also be caused by impending The extent of the AICA stroke isextremely variable. In spite of this possibility, in general, almost all sudden hearing loss cases deemed idiopathic, rather than being attributed to stroke (Singh and Kumar Irugu 2020 Chau et al. Rarely occlusion of the AICA causes sudden deafness and vertigo without brainstem or cerebellar signs, or isolated auditory or vestibular loss, in which case the diagnosis may be made from a small infarct seen on brain MRI (Lee et al. 1993 Amarenco and Hauw 1990a Hinojosa and Kohut 1990). When labyrinthine infarction occurs, infarction of the brainstem and/or cerebellum in the territory of the AICA is usually associated (Lee et al. Pathological examination in patients with inner ear infarction show widespread necrosis of the cochlea and vestibular end organs (Hinojosa and Kohut 1990). Perhaps because the IAA is often duplicated, the site of lesion in an IAA infarction mostly occurs due to thrombotic narrowing of the AICA itself, or in the basilar artery at the orifice of the AICA(Mazzoni 1990 Amarenco et al. The IAA supplies the cochlea and vestibular labyrinth, and occlusion of the IAA causes a loss of auditory and vestibular function, resulting in hearing loss and vertigo, and so-called labyrinthine (inner ear) infarction. The more frequent PICA territory strokes, while also source of vertigo, are rarely accompanied by hearing loss. Lee and associates reported that out of 82 patients with AICA territory infarctions, 59.8% had “combined audiovestibular loss” (Lee et al.

This is because the internal auditory artery( IAA) the principal artery for vascular supply to the inner ear, usually originates from the AICA (Mazzoni 1969 Hausler and Levine 2000 Mazzoni 1990). It is the second most common brainstem stroke, after PICA - it is about 10% of PICA frequency.ĪICA territory strokes are probably the most common brainstem strokes that cause of hearing loss. Large strokes are accompanied by ipsilateral facial weakness andĪtaxia. The AICAstroke syndrome usually consists of vertigo and unilateral ipsilateralĭeafness from labyrinthine artery ischemia. AICA (anterior inferior cerebellar artery) strokes.

Pica infarct