title: Can a stroke present with flexor spasms? A highly rare experience.
abstract: Involuntary movement disorders are not a common presentation of basal ganglia ischemia which may be induced by cerebral hemodynamic insufficiency. In secondary causes of movements disorders cerebrovascular diseases represent up to 22% and involuntary movements develop after 1-4% of strokes. We describe a case of a middle-aged woman who presented with intermittent involuntary tonic spasms or seizure-like episodes followed by weakness due to contralateral putaminal infarction. Initially thought to have Todd's paralysis she was not thrombolysed, but later she developed dense hemiplegia. Flexor spasms are generally thought to occur in lesions of the spinal cord but they can also occur in cerebral lesion, may be because of disinhibition of the spinal cord. Certain other theories also have been narrated, but this field still needs to be worked upon.
authors.affiliation: Rashid Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Yasir Mehmood
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.affiliation: Rashid Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Abubaker Abdulrahman
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Almadani
authors.affiliation: Rashid Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Jaeed Ahmed
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dar
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D035583:Rare Diseases; D013035:Spasm / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: basal ganglia infarction; flexor spasm; movement disorder; putaminal infarction; stroke