ISOLATED HEMIATAXIA AFTER SUPRATENTORIAL BRAIN INFARCTION

Citation
Gj. Luijckx et al., ISOLATED HEMIATAXIA AFTER SUPRATENTORIAL BRAIN INFARCTION, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 57(6), 1994, pp. 742-744
Citations number
9
Categorie Soggetti
Psychiatry,Neurosciences,"Clinical Neurology
ISSN journal
00223050
Volume
57
Issue
6
Year of publication
1994
Pages
742 - 744
Database
ISI
SICI code
0022-3050(1994)57:6<742:IHASBI>2.0.ZU;2-3
Abstract
Acute isolated hemiataxia is in most cases due to infratentorial (cere bellar) stroke. It has only twice been described in supratentorial str oke-namely, after thalamic infarction and a capsular haemorrhage. Thre e patients with isolated hemiataxia after a supratentorial brain infar ct are described. These patients were seen in a period of five years d uring which 899 patients with a first supratentorial brain infarct wer e registered. Clinically the hemiataxia was of the cerebellar type. In two patients, CT and MRI showed a small, deep (lacunar) infarct restr icted to the posterior limb of the internal capsule, a site not previo usly reported in isolated hemiataxia. The third patient had a small, d eep (lacunar) infarct in the thalamus extending into the adjacent post erior limb of the internal capsule. Isolated hemiataxia after a suprat entorial brain infarct is a very rare clinical stroke syndrome. The ce rebellar type hemiataxia was most likely caused by interruption of the cerebellar pathways at the level of the internal capsule. Our cases c onfirm prior observations that the cerebellar pathways run through the posterior part of the posterior limb of the internal capsule separate ly from the motor and sensory pathways.