[Cortical blindness after vertebral artery occlusion]

The authors describe 5 male patients aged 38 to 69 years with cardiac diseases, arterial hypertension and atherosclerosis in whom cortical blindness developed suddenly associated with other symptoms such as asynergia (4 cases), delirium (3 cases) and pyramidal syndrome (in 2 cases). In 3 cases the outcome was lethal due to brainstem damage. In all cases lesions of both occipital lobes were demonstrated by means of computerized tomography (4 cases) or autopsy (3 cases). In 3 cases the vertebral artery was occluded and in 1 case it was stenosed. Presence of additional symptoms makes possible intravital diagnosis of vertebrobasilar insufficiency and arteriography is not indicated in such cases. The treatment is conservative.