PROLONGED MUSCULAR FLACCIDITY IN STROKE PATIENTS IS ASSOCIATED WITH CROSSED CEREBELLAR DIASCHISIS

In order to evaluate whether hypotonia could be the clinical expressio n of crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD), we studied the occurrence an d severity of CCD in two groups of hemiparetic stroke patients present ing either with prolonged muscular flaccidity (PMF, n = 14) or with mu scular spasticity (MSp, n = 13) over the affected hemisoma. CCD was mo re frequent and severe in hypotonic than in spastic patients. Neither the time elapsed from the stroke nor the volume of the lesion was sign ificantly different between patients with PMF and those with MSp. The two groups of patients showed different motor deficit scores, but moto r deficit severity and CCD did not correlate. We concluded that the pe rsistence of CCD after stroke may be associated with PMF, emphasizing the link between functional cerebellar impairment and muscular hypoton ia.