Lateral pontine syndrome, also known as Marie-Foix syndrome or Marie-Foix-Alajouanine syndrome is one of the brainstem stroke syndromes of the lateral aspect of the pons. A lateral pontine syndrome is a lesion which is similar to the lateral medullary syndrome, but because it occurs in the

pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other mammals, lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of ...

, it also involves the cranial nerve nuclei of the pons.

History

Lateral pontine syndrome was first described in France by French neurologists Pierre Marie (1853-1940), Charles Foix (1882-1927), and Théophile Alajouanine (1890-1980) in 1922. They were the first to identify and describe the symptoms and causes of this syndrome. In their original description, they reported findings from autopsies that showed spinal cord necrosis and multiple tortuous and thickened blood vessels on the surface of the spinal cord. This condition was later called necrotizing myelopathy. They emphasized that in their two cases, no

thrombosis Thrombosis () is the formation of a Thrombus, blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (thrombocytes) and fib ...

was present. They considered the vascular component of the entity they reported to be a wall thickening, without luminal narrowing or obliteration of the cord vessels (

arteries An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...

as well as

veins Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are those of the pulmonary and fetal c ...

). They addressed, and ruled out, the possibility of vascular malformations.

Symptoms

Damage to the following areas produces symptoms (from medial to lateral):

Causes

The syndrome occurs due to occlusion of perforating branches of the basilar and anterior inferior cerebellar (AICA) arteries. It can also be caused by an interruption to the blood supply of the

anterior inferior cerebellar artery The anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) is one of three pairs of artery, arteries that supplies blood to the cerebellum. It arises from the basilar artery on each side at the level of the junction between the medulla oblongata and the pons ...

or circumferential arteries.

Treatment

The treatment for lateral pontine syndrome varies greatly, so there are different medications for different symptoms. Sometimes blood thinning agents are prescribed to remove

blood flow Hemodynamics American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or haemodynamics are the Fluid dynamics, dynamics of blood flow. The circulatory system is controlled by homeostasis, homeostatic mechanisms of autoregulation, just as hydrau ...

hindrance. Other than these medications,

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

is also necessary

References

External links

Types of stroke Syndromes affecting the nervous system {{nervoussystem-disease-stub