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Acute bilateral arm paresis
C Stapf1, J P Mohr, M Straschill
1Stroke Unit/Neurologische Klinik, Universitätsklinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. cs585@columbia.edu
Objective:
To study pure motor bilateral arm paresis of acute onset. This syndrome is as yet a barely described clinical feature attributed to ischemia in the territory of the anterior spinal artery (ASA).
Cases:
We present 2 patients with acute onset of pure motor deficit in both upper extremities.
Results:
Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spinal cord revealed infarcts in the territory of the ASA. In 1 case, electrophysiology further suggested discrete gray matter involvement.
Conclusion:
In patients with acute weakness of both arms without further neurological deficits, an incomplete ASA syndrome should be considered with the anterior horns predominantly being affected. Magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiology are valuable tools to further confirm both location and extension of the spinal lesion.