Gj. Luijckx et al., ISOLATED HEMIATAXIA AFTER SUPRATENTORIAL BRAIN INFARCTION, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 57(6), 1994, pp. 742-744
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.