Weber's syndrome secondary to subarachnoid hemorrhage

Since a large intracranial hemorrhage is a space-occupying mass, it may cause the brain to shift, resulting in neurologic deficits both at the location of the bleeding and at a site distal to the hemorrhage. A parietal lobe hemorrhage may push the brain downward, causing the uncus of the temporal lobe to herniate through the tentorial notch, compressing the midbrain. The signs of parietal lobe damage, uncal herniation, and several midbrain syndromes that effect ocular motility are discussed.

A 66-year-old Hispanic man came to us with a history of a subarachnoid hemorrhage that involved the right parietal lobe. Several signs of damage to both the right parietal lobe and midbrain were evident, including an ipsilateral third nerve paresis with contralateral hemiplegia, Weber's syndrome.

A patient who survives a subarachnoid hemorrhage may demonstrate permanent residual neurologic deficits subsequent to the acute event. The presentation is particularly complex when the hemorrhage is large and damage occurs at multiple locations. Damage at the level of the midbrain is evident when the findings include Weber's syndrome, which is one of several syndromes that involves the oculomotor nerve.