Wallenberg Syndrome - Medtick
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Wallenberg Syndrome

What is it?

A neurological disorder that happens when something slows or stops blood flow to your brainstem ( the base of the brain that connects with the spinal cord) in areas of the brain such as lateral medullary and/or posterior inferior cerebellar artery.

  • It normally occurs after an event that affects how blood flows to your brainstem, like a stroke or blood clot.
  • It may make you feel as if everything you see is tilted.
  • It is also known as lateral medullary syndrome or posterior inferior cerebellar artery syndrome.

Diagnosis tests

  • Physical examination
  • Neurological examination
  • MRI
  • Angiogram
  • Computed tomography (CT) scan
  • Electrocardiogram
  • Blood tests
Urgent treatment is required to reduce complications and/or best possible outcomes, symptoms subside after a few weeks or months i.e. after a stroke. Other times, complications can linger for years afterward.

Cause

  • A brainstem (the base of the brain that connects with the spinal cord) stroke

This can happen after:

  • Damage to the lateral part (side) of your medulla oblongata
  • Blood flow blockages through the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) to your cerebellum or the vertebral artery in your brainstem.

Other less common causes:

Risk factors occur with any condition that may weaken the blood vessels in brainstem region:

Symptoms

(Symptoms may occur on one side of the body and not the other, not always)

  • Difficulty swallowing?
  • Hoarse voice (not going back to normal after two weeks)?
  • Hiccups?
  • Loss of sense of taste (including numbness of tongue)?
  • Fast, involuntary eye movements (nystagmus)?
  • Double vision?
  • Issues with balance and/or dizziness and/or coordination?
  • Vertigo?
  • Pain or numbness symptoms?
  • Feeling of pain or temperature on one side of your face but not the other?
  • Lack of pain and temperature sensation on one side of the face and the other side of the body?
  • Horner syndrome?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Medical Emergency

And/or do not wait, phone for an ambulance if have or develop:

  • Stroke
  • If having multiple above symptoms
  • Double vision
  • Fast, involuntary eye movements that can’t be explained
  • Facial numbness
  • Pain and numbness on any part of the body to the point one cannot move that limb
  • Severe balance and dizziness that is not going away

This condition can lead to:

General tips

We want to reduce the risk of stroke:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Wallenberg Syndrome in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

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