Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Brief Clinical Note

A case of unilateral ischemic stroke with ipsilateral limb-kinetic apraxia

Kaori Tokisato, M.D.1), Yuichiro Inatomi, M.D.1), Toshiro Yonehara, M.D.1), Shodo Fujioka, M.D.1), Yoichiro Hashimoto, M.D.2), Teruyuki Hirano, M.D.3), Makoto Uchino, M.D.3) and Koichi Tagawa, M.D.4)

1)Stroke Center, Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital
2)Department of Neurology, Kumamoto City Hospital
3)Department of Neurology, Postgraduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University
4)Higher Brain Dysfunction Center, Hara-Doi Hospital

A 74-year-old man developed aphasia, weakness of the right upper extremity and left limb-kinetic apraxia. Brain MRI showed an infarct in the area supplied by the left middle cerebral artery. Cerebral angiography revealed high grade stenosis with plaques of bilateral proximal internal carotid arteries. The carotid endarterectomy of the left carotid artery was performed three months later. After this operation his left limb-kinetic apraxia improved. We considered transhemispheric diaschisis, callosal apraxia or diagonistic dyspraxia as a possible cause of this rare symptom.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 45: 246|249, 2005)
key words: limb-kinetic apraxia, carotid endarterectomy, transhemispheric diaschisis, callosal apraxia, diagonistic dyspraxia

(Received: 21-Feb-04)