The electrocardiogram in infratentorial infarcts.

Sixty-nine patients with infratentorial infarcts were studied with respect to associated electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities. ECG changes were encountered in about 70% of the patients, the most frequent abnormalities being arrhythmias, conduction disturbances and ST-T changes. No relationship was found between the localization of the brain-stem lesion and the accompanying ECG pattern. It is concluded that ischaemic lesions within the central nervous system do not per se affect the ECG and that associated ECG changes are merely coincidental, reflecting the same basic vascular disease.