A pure sensorimotor stroke due to cervical vertebral artery occlusion

We reviewed the case history of a 45 year-old women, who presented a pure right sensorimotor stroke, due to a left paramedial medullary infarct as result of a left cervical vertebral artery occlusion. The unusual location of the infarct could be explained by the combination of an anatomical variant of the left branch of the anterior spinal artery and the presence of a deep cervical artery, issued from the costo-cervical trunck. This collateral circulation allowed that the lateral and upper medulla was not infarcted.