Background and purpose: Supratentorial stroke can cause conjugate eye deviation directed contralateral to the affected side (wrong-way deviation). It is rare and thought to be associated exclusively with hemorrhagic stroke. We prospectively investigated the clinical features and prognostic significance of this wrong-way deviation.
Methods: Subjects were 12 patients who manifested wrong-way deviation subsequent to supratentorial stroke. These patients were from a group of 968 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute supratentorial stroke during the period April 2007 through March 2010. Clinical features of wrong-way deviation were evaluated.
Results: The overall incidence of wrong-way deviation was 1.2%. The causative lesion was a huge intracranial hemorrhage (n=7) or an extensive hemispheric infarction (n=5). Left-sided lesions were most frequent (66.7% of patients). Wrong-way deviation usually appeared a few days after the initial insult and was frequently accompanied by transient downward eye deviation (58.3% of patients). Although the outcomes for patients treated conservatively were generally poor, patients who underwent surgical decompression regained consciousness.
Conclusion: Wrong-way deviation can result not only from hemorrhagic but also ischemic stroke if the stroke is extensive. Secondary damage to the adjacent rostral brainstem where oculomotor pathways cross over from the contralateral hemisphere can explain the phenomenon, its temporal evolution, and associated eye signs. Immediate surgical decompression may be necessary to improve the prognosis in such cases.
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