Abstract

Background: Stroke can be due to ischemia or hemorrhage. 80% of strokes are due to an ischemic event. Out of these, 20% are posterior circulation stroke. Posterior circulation is more prone to atherosclerosis like systemic arteries compared to the intracranial part of anterior circulation.
Material & Methods: This study was carried out in patients who presented with signs and symptoms of PC stroke to the medicine and neurology department of Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital, Laheriasarai, Bihar. The study was conducted during the time period of January 2021 to October 2021. The stroke events were classified according to the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) classification.
Results: Males were commonly affected than female. The most common age group was between 40-60 years. The most common risk factor for PC stroke in our population was hypertension, followed by smoking and diabetes. The most common clinical presentation was vertigo, followed by ataxia and motor weakness. Distal territory involvement was most common in our study, followed by proximal and middle vascular territories. In posterior circulation, stroke ischemic was more common than hemorrhagic. The common isolated site of involvement in posterior circulation ischemic stroke was the cerebellum followed by the occipital lobe, and the most common site of bleed in PC stroke was the cerebellum. Studyfound a higher percentage of large artery disease, followed by cardio embolism as a cause of posterior circulation stroke.
Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the occurrence of posterior circulation stroke in a relatively younger age group compared to case series from the Western world. We found a higher percentage of large artery disease as a cause of posterior circulation stroke with distal territory involvement.