What is a inferior infarction?

Condition analysis:
An inferior infarction refers to a heart attack (myocardial infarction - MI) involving the inferior and possibly the posterior wall of the heart. This area of the heart is supplied blood by the right coronary artery and sometimes a part of it is supplied by a small branch of the left coronary artery.

If the right coronary artery becomes diseases with lipid laden plaques, and a plaque ruptures, it can cause an infarction in the inferior or posterior walls of the heart. This will frequently cause chest pain, nausea, vomiting, sweating, shortness of breath, and possibly syncope. Sometimes, the only symptoms are nausea and vomiting, especially in women, the elderly, and those with diabetes mellitus.

When your physician performs an EKG, there can be changes seen in the inferior leads (II, III, aVF, and possibly V1 or V2). This is how s/he diagnoses an acute MI. You may need clotbusting medication, but if it is available, a cardiac catheterization can sometimes open the artery and prevent further damage to the cardiac muscle.

Instructions:
Cerebral Infarction / Effects of Edema: Shown is a brain slice viewed from the back following a stroke. Blood flow to the region on the left was interrupted due to a thrombus or embolus. The lack of blood flow resulted in severe damage (infarct) to some of the brain tissue. The infarcted tissue caused fluids to accumulate (edema) and result in swelling. The center of the brain is shifted to the right due to swelling from the left.

The rigid container of the cranium allows limited room for expansion, and any condition that causes an increase in volume of one or more structures within this vault will cause an increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) or will shift one compartment of the brain, thereby compressing others. As the pressure increases, the brain shifts or is distorted, compressing neurons, nerve tracts, and cerebral arteries. A sustained increase in pressure causes persistent ischemia, irreversible damage to brain cells, and potentially death.