Post-stroke violent adventitial movement responsive to levo-dopa/carbi-dopa therapy

Previous reports in the literature concerning cerebrovascular accident have illustrated cases of poststroke tremor. Treatments of these studies have v aried. Trials of levo-dopa have been reported in two such cases. This case study reports on a case of a patient with a left thalamic, left superior ce rebellar artery infarction with a lacunar infarction in the basal ganglia. The patient developed a violent tremor/movement disorder which was unrespon sive to haloperidol. With this failure, and with the evidence of a basal ga nglion lesion, levo-dopa/carbi-dopa was introduced as an intervention. The amplitude of the tremor was dramatically reduced, with protective devices r emoved, and with complete cessation of the tremor at rest. The medication w as withdrawn and reintroduced with a reduction and subsequent resolution of the symptoms. A discussion of the previous studies of movement disorder wi th cerebrovascular accident is included.