The authors studied incidence, nature and place of vascular injuries of brainstem secondary to acute hemispheric vascular injuries. In a large number of 363 patients deceased and submitted to autopsy, incidence was 10.2%, higher in haemorrhagic primitive injuries (13.4%) in comparison with ischemic ones (4.9%). The nature of brainstem secondary injuries appears to be above all of haemorrhagic type and pons the favourite place. Such injuries are determined not only by compression but also by distorsion of brainstem.
