Synonyms
Lateral medullary syndrome
Short Description or Definition
Described in 1895 by Wallenberg and later outlined by Fisher et al. (1961), this syndrome is produced by a lesion in a wedge of lateral medulla lying posterior to the inferior olivary nucleus. It is frequently the result of an infarction, and however, although much rarer, may also be due to a small well-localized hemorrhage or a tumor. The complete syndrome involves the vestibular nuclei, spinothalamic tract, descending sympathetic tract, fascicles of the ninth and tenth nerves, otolithic nucleus, olivocerebellar and/or spinocerebellar fibers, and restiform body. The symptoms most frequently associated with this syndrome are ataxia (84%), numbness (78%), dysphagia (69%), vertigo (60%), nausea (58%), dysarthria (49%), headache (44%), as well as hoarseness, facial pain, hiccups, and others. Long-term disability affecting multiple domains can result from this strategically localized infarction.
Symptoms
See Table 1.
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Noskin, O. (2018). Wallenberg’s Syndrome. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_582
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_582
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