Isolated monoparesis following stroke.
BACKGROUND
Some investigators have stated that monoparesis is almost never the result of a lacunar infarct or cerebral haemorrhage.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the topography and aetiology in a consecutive population where first ever stroke was manifested by isolated monoparesis.


METHODS
Patients with motor paresis of only one limb were included consecutively in the study. A neuroradiologist determined stroke location, while a neurologist reviewed the clinical records to assign stroke subtype. Both physicians worked blind to each other's findings.


RESULTS
51 of 2003 patients (2.5%) had isolated monoparesis, and of these 39 (76.5%) were ischaemic strokes and 12 (23.5%) were haemorrhagic. Cardioembolism was the cause of stroke in 15.7%, atherosclerosis in 9.8%, and small artery disease in 39.2%. Most of the haemorrhages were in the thalamic-capsular region (5/12). Most of the ischaemic lesions were in the deep territory of the middle cerebral artery, the corona radiate, or the centrum semiovale (20/39); 16 of 39 were in the cortical territories or the watershed region.


CONCLUSIONS
Isolated monoparesis is a rare symptom in stroke patients and is often caused by small artery disease or a small haemorrhage.
Paciaroni
M
M
Stroke Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Perugia, Via Enrico dal Pozzo, 06126 Perugia, Italy. mpaciaroni@libero.it
Caso
V
V
Milia
P
P
Venti
M
M
Silvestrelli
G
G
Palmerini
F
F
Nardi
K
K
Micheli
S
S
Agnelli
G
G
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010291:Paresis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011149:Pons / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed