Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsPotential Complications of a Cerebellar StrokeDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Potential Complications of a Cerebellar Stroke
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
A cerebellar stroke occurs when there is bleeding or blockage of a blood vessel in part of the brain called the cerebellum, affecting healthy blood flow to the area. This is one of the least common types of stroke, accounting for less than 2% percent of all cases.
Symptoms of cerebellar stroke may include dizziness, headache, nausea and vomiting, tremors, and coordination problems. Because the symptoms can be vague, cerebellar stroke symptoms can be easily confused with symptoms of other conditions.
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Cerebellar strokes are dangerous and may cause serious complications both because of the cerebellum’s location and its involvement in physical movements and cognition. Long-term effects may include trouble walking, double vision, and speech problems.
This article provides an overview of cerebellar strokes, including what symptoms they can cause, why they occur, how they are diagnosed, the impact they can have on your health, and how they are treated.
What Is the Cerebellum?The cerebellum is a specific area located in the lower-back part of the brain. It has both a right and left side (hemisphere), each of which is identical in appearance. The cerebellum controls balance, voluntary movements, eye movements, and more. Each hemisphere controls the coordination of the side of the body that it’s on.
What Is the Cerebellum?
The cerebellum is a specific area located in the lower-back part of the brain. It has both a right and left side (hemisphere), each of which is identical in appearance. The cerebellum controls balance, voluntary movements, eye movements, and more. Each hemisphere controls the coordination of the side of the body that it’s on.
The Cerebellum and Other Parts of Your Brain
What Causes a Cerebellar Stroke?
The blood vessels that reach the cerebellum are called the superior cerebellar artery, the anterior inferior cerebellar artery, and the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. A blood clot, bleeding, or trauma to any of these blood vessels can cause a cerebellar stroke.
Risk Factors
Having certain risk factors can also make it more likely that you’ll have a cerebellar stroke. These are the same as for anyischemic strokein any part of the brain:
Other risk factors for a cerebellar hemorrhagic stroke include:
What Causes Strokes?
What Are the Symptoms of a Cerebellar Stroke?
A cerebellar stroke typically involves only one of the two sides of the cerebellum. Given how these hemispheres function, a stroke on the right side only causes symptoms on the right side of the body; a stroke on the left side only affects the left side of the body.
Having a cerebellar stroke can feel like a more common condition such as a migraine or flu, and consequently, can delay the diagnosis and immediate treatment needed for this condition. How long the symptoms last can vary from a few hours to a full day and depends on what is causing the stroke and how severe it is.
Common Symptoms
Common symptoms of cerebellar stroke include:
Nonspecific neurological symptoms such as dizziness and headaches are more common when a cerebellar stroke occurs than obvious problems with vision or coordination.
Therefore, some people who experience a cerebellar stroke may initially ignore the symptoms and might not get medical attention until after the symptoms become severe or persistent. It’s also possible for medical professionals to point to another, less serious condition as the cause early on.
Telltale Symptoms
While they don’t occur in every case, the following symptoms are considered highly indicative of a cerebellar stroke and can help healthcare providers more accurately and quickly reach a diagnosis.
These symptoms include:
Whether or not these occur depends on how large the stroke is and exactly where it’s located in the cerebellum.
Signs of a Stroke You Should Know
A cerebellar stroke can cause problems with movement, vision, speaking, thinking, and behavior. Some people have trouble eating, swallowing, and doing self-care activities.Some people can experience long-term deficits.
Complications may include:
Swelling of the brain is also a potential complication. Swelling can lead to compression of the brain, which can damage the cerebellum, thebrainstem, or other regions of the brain.
In the long term, swelling or excessive bleeding can interfere with the normal flow ofcerebrospinal fluidaround the brain and spine. This can cause a buildup of fluid in the brain, a condition calledhydrocephalus.It often requires long-term intervention such asventriculoperitoneal shunt placement.
It’s also possible that having problems in the cerebellum, like a cerebellar stroke, can contribute to a person’s risk of developing vascular dementia.
How Serious Is a Cerebellar Stroke?
A cerebellar stroke can be life-threatening. If you have symptoms of a cerebellar stroke, even if they’re vague, you need to seek medical care and treatment as soon as possible.
If a cerebellar stroke is not fatal, it can still lead to significant disability.
Stroke Survival Rates
How Is a Cerebellar Stroke Diagnosed?
It can be tricky to diagnose a cerebellar stroke because the symptoms are similar to other conditions, but a prompt medical diagnosis is very important for preventing long-term complications.
Healthcare providers use a combination of assessments to diagnose a cerebellar stroke, such as:
A brain MRI can look at the cerebellum more clearly, and is considered the gold standard. If MRI isn’t available quickly, then enhanced CT angiogram and perfusion imaging can be helpful in its place.
A cerebellar stroke requires a careful evaluation to determine whether there is a brainaneurysmor any unusual blood vessel that could lead to another stroke.
All of these factors contribute to the difficulty of diagnosing a cerebellar stroke.
Which Conditions Cause Stroke-Like Symptoms?
Treatment for Cerebellar Stroke
The treatment for cerebellar stroke will depend on factors such as:
An ischemic stroke may be treated with tissue plasminogen activators (tPA) to dissolve the blood clot or blood thinning medications. Surgery may also be performed to remove a blood clot and restore blood flow to that area of the brain.
A hemorrhagic stroke requires careful management of bleeding and swelling to prevent hydrocephalus.Treatment can include:
You should expect close medical monitoring in the days after experiencing a cerebellar stroke, even if your symptoms do not seem too severe.
People who experience coordination or walking difficulties, jerking movements, or tremors after a stroke may require rehabilitation, such as:
A cerebellar stroke is a rare condition but because the symptoms can be vague, diagnosis and treatment may be delayed. This can make cerebellar strokes life-threatening or lead to long-term disability.
If treated early, the chance of recovery is high, but it can take weeks, months, or even years to recover from a stroke. Some people recover fully, while others have long-term or lifelong disabilities.
Life expectancy after a cerebellar stroke depends on many factors, like how severe the stroke was, how soon you were able to get treatment, and your underlying health. As an example, in a study of 79 patients who had cerebellar strokes, about 17% died and just over 30% had poor outcomes six months after the stroke.
Are Strokes Treatable?
Summary
The symptoms of a cerebellar stroke can be vague. It’s not uncommon for a cerebellar stroke to be diagnosed as another condition. Cerebellar strokes are rare but they share symptoms with more common conditions likemigraines.
Getting an accurate and timely diagnosis is important if you have a cerebellar stroke. With time and treatment, many people can recover from a cerebellar stroke.
How to Recover From a Stroke
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wright J, et al.Diagnosis and management of acute cerebellar infarction.Stroke. 2014;45(4):e56-e58. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.004474Medline Plus.Stroke.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Cerebral Aneurysms.Matsumoto H, Yoshida Y.Posttraumatic cerebellar infarction after repeated sport-related minor head injuries in a young adult: a case report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo). 2015;55(2):179-82. doi: 10.2176/nmc.cr.2014-0094University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.How long does a stroke last?.Sangha N, Albright KC, Peng H, et al.Misdiagnosis of cerebellar infarctions.Can J Neurol Sci. 2014;41(5):568–571. doi:10.1017/cjn.2014.4Johns Hopkins Medicine.Effects of Stroke.Cano LM, Cardona P, Quesada H, Mora P, Rubio F.[Cerebellar infarction: prognosis and complications of vascular territories].Neurologia. 2012;27(6):330-5. doi:10.1016/j.nrl.2011.12.009Villalobos-Díaz R, Ortiz-Llamas LA, Rodríguez-Hernández LA, Flores-Vázquez JG, Calva-González M, Sangrador-Deitos MV, Mondragón-Soto MG, Uribe-Pacheco R, Villanueva Castro E, Barrera-Tello MA.Characteristics and Long-Term Outcome of Cerebellar Strokes in a Single Health Care Facility in Mexico. Cureus. 2022 Sep 9;14(9):e28993. doi: 10.7759/cureus.28993Sui R, Zhang L.Cerebellar dysfunction may play an important role in vascular dementia.Med Hypotheses. 2012;78(1):162-165. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2011.10.017Ioannides K, Tadi P, Naqvi IA.Cerebellar Infarct. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Johns Hopkins University.Hemorrhagic stroke.Hatem SM, Saussez G, Della Faille M, et al.Rehabilitation of motor function after stroke: a multiple systematic review focused on techniques to stimulate upper extremity recovery.Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:442. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00442National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Stroke recovery.Ng ZX, Yang WR, Seet E, et al.Cerebellar strokes: a clinical outcome review of 79 cases.Singapore Med J. 2015;56(3):145-149. doi:10.11622/smedj.2014195
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wright J, et al.Diagnosis and management of acute cerebellar infarction.Stroke. 2014;45(4):e56-e58. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.004474Medline Plus.Stroke.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Cerebral Aneurysms.Matsumoto H, Yoshida Y.Posttraumatic cerebellar infarction after repeated sport-related minor head injuries in a young adult: a case report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo). 2015;55(2):179-82. doi: 10.2176/nmc.cr.2014-0094University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.How long does a stroke last?.Sangha N, Albright KC, Peng H, et al.Misdiagnosis of cerebellar infarctions.Can J Neurol Sci. 2014;41(5):568–571. doi:10.1017/cjn.2014.4Johns Hopkins Medicine.Effects of Stroke.Cano LM, Cardona P, Quesada H, Mora P, Rubio F.[Cerebellar infarction: prognosis and complications of vascular territories].Neurologia. 2012;27(6):330-5. doi:10.1016/j.nrl.2011.12.009Villalobos-Díaz R, Ortiz-Llamas LA, Rodríguez-Hernández LA, Flores-Vázquez JG, Calva-González M, Sangrador-Deitos MV, Mondragón-Soto MG, Uribe-Pacheco R, Villanueva Castro E, Barrera-Tello MA.Characteristics and Long-Term Outcome of Cerebellar Strokes in a Single Health Care Facility in Mexico. Cureus. 2022 Sep 9;14(9):e28993. doi: 10.7759/cureus.28993Sui R, Zhang L.Cerebellar dysfunction may play an important role in vascular dementia.Med Hypotheses. 2012;78(1):162-165. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2011.10.017Ioannides K, Tadi P, Naqvi IA.Cerebellar Infarct. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Johns Hopkins University.Hemorrhagic stroke.Hatem SM, Saussez G, Della Faille M, et al.Rehabilitation of motor function after stroke: a multiple systematic review focused on techniques to stimulate upper extremity recovery.Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:442. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00442National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Stroke recovery.Ng ZX, Yang WR, Seet E, et al.Cerebellar strokes: a clinical outcome review of 79 cases.Singapore Med J. 2015;56(3):145-149. doi:10.11622/smedj.2014195
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Wright J, et al.Diagnosis and management of acute cerebellar infarction.Stroke. 2014;45(4):e56-e58. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.004474Medline Plus.Stroke.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Cerebral Aneurysms.Matsumoto H, Yoshida Y.Posttraumatic cerebellar infarction after repeated sport-related minor head injuries in a young adult: a case report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo). 2015;55(2):179-82. doi: 10.2176/nmc.cr.2014-0094University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.How long does a stroke last?.Sangha N, Albright KC, Peng H, et al.Misdiagnosis of cerebellar infarctions.Can J Neurol Sci. 2014;41(5):568–571. doi:10.1017/cjn.2014.4Johns Hopkins Medicine.Effects of Stroke.Cano LM, Cardona P, Quesada H, Mora P, Rubio F.[Cerebellar infarction: prognosis and complications of vascular territories].Neurologia. 2012;27(6):330-5. doi:10.1016/j.nrl.2011.12.009Villalobos-Díaz R, Ortiz-Llamas LA, Rodríguez-Hernández LA, Flores-Vázquez JG, Calva-González M, Sangrador-Deitos MV, Mondragón-Soto MG, Uribe-Pacheco R, Villanueva Castro E, Barrera-Tello MA.Characteristics and Long-Term Outcome of Cerebellar Strokes in a Single Health Care Facility in Mexico. Cureus. 2022 Sep 9;14(9):e28993. doi: 10.7759/cureus.28993Sui R, Zhang L.Cerebellar dysfunction may play an important role in vascular dementia.Med Hypotheses. 2012;78(1):162-165. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2011.10.017Ioannides K, Tadi P, Naqvi IA.Cerebellar Infarct. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Johns Hopkins University.Hemorrhagic stroke.Hatem SM, Saussez G, Della Faille M, et al.Rehabilitation of motor function after stroke: a multiple systematic review focused on techniques to stimulate upper extremity recovery.Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:442. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00442National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Stroke recovery.Ng ZX, Yang WR, Seet E, et al.Cerebellar strokes: a clinical outcome review of 79 cases.Singapore Med J. 2015;56(3):145-149. doi:10.11622/smedj.2014195
Wright J, et al.Diagnosis and management of acute cerebellar infarction.Stroke. 2014;45(4):e56-e58. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.004474
Medline Plus.Stroke.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Cerebral Aneurysms.
Matsumoto H, Yoshida Y.Posttraumatic cerebellar infarction after repeated sport-related minor head injuries in a young adult: a case report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo). 2015;55(2):179-82. doi: 10.2176/nmc.cr.2014-0094
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.How long does a stroke last?.
Sangha N, Albright KC, Peng H, et al.Misdiagnosis of cerebellar infarctions.Can J Neurol Sci. 2014;41(5):568–571. doi:10.1017/cjn.2014.4
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Effects of Stroke.
Cano LM, Cardona P, Quesada H, Mora P, Rubio F.[Cerebellar infarction: prognosis and complications of vascular territories].Neurologia. 2012;27(6):330-5. doi:10.1016/j.nrl.2011.12.009
Villalobos-Díaz R, Ortiz-Llamas LA, Rodríguez-Hernández LA, Flores-Vázquez JG, Calva-González M, Sangrador-Deitos MV, Mondragón-Soto MG, Uribe-Pacheco R, Villanueva Castro E, Barrera-Tello MA.Characteristics and Long-Term Outcome of Cerebellar Strokes in a Single Health Care Facility in Mexico. Cureus. 2022 Sep 9;14(9):e28993. doi: 10.7759/cureus.28993
Sui R, Zhang L.Cerebellar dysfunction may play an important role in vascular dementia.Med Hypotheses. 2012;78(1):162-165. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2011.10.017
Ioannides K, Tadi P, Naqvi IA.Cerebellar Infarct. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
Johns Hopkins University.Hemorrhagic stroke.
Hatem SM, Saussez G, Della Faille M, et al.Rehabilitation of motor function after stroke: a multiple systematic review focused on techniques to stimulate upper extremity recovery.Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:442. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00442
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Stroke recovery.
Ng ZX, Yang WR, Seet E, et al.Cerebellar strokes: a clinical outcome review of 79 cases.Singapore Med J. 2015;56(3):145-149. doi:10.11622/smedj.2014195
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