TITLE:
Bi-Thalamic Ischemic Stroke: Artery of Percheron Variant. Case Report
AUTHORS:
Glodi Dibwe, Oumar Kamate, Filston Ngindu, Aggoug Badria, Fehdi Mohamed, Mouhaoui Mohammed
KEYWORDS:
Infarction, Bithalamic, Percheron
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.8,
August
18,
2026
ABSTRACT: Bilateral thalamic infarction results from the occlusion of the artery of Percheron, a rare anatomical variant of cerebral vascularization. The occlusion of this artery leads to a characteristic pattern of bilateral paramedian thalamic infarctions, with or without midbrain involvement. We report a case of bilateral thalamic infarction due to artery of Percheron occlusion in a 67-year-old female patient with a known history of diabetes, who was admitted for a sudden onset of altered consciousness. A brain MRI revealed ischemic strokes in the territories of the posterior cerebral artery and with bilateral thalamic ischemic involvement suggestive of an artery of Percheron variant. Healthcare providers’ lack of familiarity with this type of stroke is mainly explained by the variable extension of the infarcted territories, which leads to a highly polymorphic and often non-specific clinical presentation. Despite existing awareness efforts, our case highlights the importance of performing a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) early on for the characterization of this type of lesion, which is sometimes not detected by computed tomography (CT).