The utility of “heart sign” on neuroimaging in acute-onset quadriparesis: A series of three cases

Abstract

The “heart sign” is a well-described radiological sign in bilateral medial medullary infarction, which is a rare stroke syndrome. It has also been rarely reported in infarction of bilateral paramedian pons and caudal paramedian midbrain. Bilateral brainstem infarcts usually present with varying degree of quadriparesis and in the initial stages, it is difficult to distinguish from other conditions such as Guillain–Barre syndrome and brainstem encephalitis. Recognizing the “heart sign” on magnetic resonance imaging in a stroke-like episode may be helpful in differentiating these conditions from bilateral brainstem infarcts.

Keywords

• bilateral medial medullary infarct
• bilateral pontine infarct
• bilateral pontomedullary infarct
• heart sign
• neuroimaging