EARLY DIAGNOSIS BY DIFFUSION-WEIGHTED MRI OF PURE MOTOR STROKE LIMITED TO FINGER WEAKNESS

Pure motor neurologic deficits occur among 3%-14% of all patients with ischemic stroke. Pure motor monoparesis occurs among 2%-22% of patien ts with pure motor stroke. The authors report the case of a 73-year-ol d woman with isolated finger weakness as the sole manifestation of a s mall cortical-subcortical pure motor stroke diagnosed within 4 hours o f onset by means of diffusion-weighted echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging. To the authors' knowledge, the case of a patient with pure mo tor stroke with finger weakness as the only manifestation has not been previously reported. Increased awareness of this rare clinical presen tation of pure motor stroke coupled with the promise of prompt diagnos is by means of diffusion-weighted MRI should lead to earlier stroke in tervention.