Lateral Medullary Lesions Involving the Spinal Nucleus of the Trigeminal Nerve may Cause Ipsilesional Masseter Reflex Abnormalities

Background: Experimental data indicate a suprasegmental influence on the masseter reflex (MassR), which is mediated via the 5th nerve spinal nucleus. To the best of our knowledge, corresponding data in humans is still lacking. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the files of 258 consecutive patients with clinical signs and symptoms of acute ischemia in the vertebrobasilar territory for unilateral infarctions caudal to the levels of the motor and main sensory nucleus of the 5th nerve. Biplane T2- and echo planar diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with slice orientation parallel and perpen…