Hemichorea after successful treatment with mechanical thrombectomy in a patient with acute ischemic stroke

Abstract

We describe an 83-year-old man who presented with acute ischemic stroke after an inguinal hernia operation. After mechanical thrombectomy, the patient regained full neurological function; however, 5 days later, he developed left hemichorea without radiological abnormalities at that time. His hemichorea was successfully treated with a small dose of haloperidol. A slight hyperintense signal was noted at the right putamen on T1-weighted imaging performed 43 days after the onset. This is the first report to highlight the development of delayed-onset hemichorea, despite the initial resolution of the neurological symptoms in a patient with acute ischemic stroke successfully treated with mechanical thrombectomy.

Keywords

• Hemichorea
• Ischemic stroke
• Mechanical thrombectomy
• Brain imaging
• Cortico-striato-pallido-thalamo-cortical loop