Artery of Percheron infarct – An ophthalmologist’s perspective

Abstract

Thalamus is an important relay station in diencephalon which receives its blood supply mostly from the posterior cerebral artery. The Artery of Percheron (AOP) arises from the posterior cerebral artery and bifurcates to supply paramedian thalami. AOP infarction, though rare, presents with a triad of clinical features including altered mental status, memory impairment, and supranuclear vertical gaze palsy. Our patient had concurrent manifestation of vertical gaze palsy (both upward and downward) and third cranial nerve palsy in the left eye, which is an interesting clinical amalgamation. Our case report elucidates the quick recognition of the abnormalities in ocular motility through a simple, yet effective nine gaze ocular motility evaluation and thereby enhancing clinical recognition of this entity among the practicing general Ophthalmologists.