A 56-year-old woman arrives at the emergency department with a severe headache and partial visual loss. She has had atrial fibrillation for three years. The physical examination reveals a visual field impairment including the dark regions shown below. This patient most likely has occlusion of which of the following arteries?

Question

A 56-year-old woman arrives at the emergency department with a severe headache and partial visual loss. She has had atrial fibrillation for three years. The physical examination reveals a visual field impairment including the dark regions shown below.  This patient most likely has occlusion of which of the following arteries?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: The ischemic lesion to the ipsilateral striate cortex caused by PCA occlusion results in contralateral homonymous hemianopia with macular sparing. The macula is spared because the middle cerebral artery supplies collateral blood to the occipital pole, which processes central visual information. A lower or upper quadrantanopia will result from a unilateral infarct affecting only the cuneus gyrus or the lingual gyrus.

A 56-Year-Old Woman Arrives at the Emergency Department with a Severe