To investigate the clinical and imaging features of medullary infarction and provide new thoughts for early diagnosis and treatment of medullary infarction.

Fifteen patients with medullary infarction, admitted to our hospital from January 2015 to December 2015, were chosen in our study. All patients were performed MR imaging to confirm medullary infarction; and according to the infarction sites, they were divided into medial medullary infarction group and lateral medullary infarction group. Their clinical features and imaging characteristics were analyzed and compared.

The most common manifestation and positive body sign in the two groups included decreased limb muscular strength, dysarthrosis/hoarseness, ataxia and sensory disturbance; in the lateral medullary infarction group, only one patient had typical Wallenberg syndrome and the other 6 did not have typical features; in the 8 patients from medullary infarction group, only two had typical Dejerine syndrome, one had Jackson's syndrome, and the other 5 only manifested as partial decreased limb muscular strength. MR diffusion weighted imaging indicated left lateral medullary infarction in two and right lateral medullary infarction in 5 of the medullary infarction group, and left medullary infarction in 4, right medullary infarction in two and bilateral medullary infarction in two of the medullary infarction group. Two patients with bilateral medullary infarction had typical "Y" or "Love" shape in MR diffusion weighted imaging.

Medullary infarction, especially bilateral medial infarction, is a rare type of stroke without specific clinical features; the positions, spectrums and compensatory ability of collateral circulation are different in the medial and lateral medullary infarctions, therefore, the clinical symptoms are different without specific disciplines. Initial brain MR imaging contributes to early diagnosis as well as therapy.

Medullary infarction; Clinical manifestation; Imaging characteristic