[A case of dural arteriovenous malformation with bilateral thalamic infarction]

A 59-year-old man was admitted because of frequent vomiting and obtundation in February 1982. Neurological examination on admission revealed only slight impairment of consciousness. Papilledema, meningeal irritation sign and paralysis were not elicited. The plain CT scan was normal, but the CT scan with contrast material showed patchy enhancement in the left temporal lobe and around the third ventricle. Cerebral angiography showed a dural arteriovenous malformation (dural AVM) in the left transverse sinus fed by the left occipital artery, and the retrograde flow into the straight sinus. By the third day following admission, the level of consciousness became alert. The patient did not complain of headache, bruit and visual disturbance. He showed mild disorientation and memory disturbance. But his ordinary daily-living was independent. In August 1982, the patient gradually became inactive and apathetic. At times he lay in bed with moving his eyes, swallowing foods. At other times, he lay in bed with closing his eyes, immobile, and unresponsive except to strong painful stimuli. The patient was incontinent and required nursing care. During three month periods, the patient progressively became somnolent, speechless and immobile. Eventually, he was in a state of akinetic mutism. The patient became unresponsive. The state of consciousness fluctuated within a narrow range. The pupils were isocoric and did not react to light. He sometimes moved his eyes horizontally, but the vertical eye movement was limited. Deep tendon reflexes were hyperactive with Babinski reflex bilaterally. Passive mobilization of extremities revealed hypertonic. The CT scan disclosed the bilateral symmetrical infarction of the thalamus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)