Unilateral pure thalamic asterixis: clinical, electromyographic, and topographic patterns

Eleven patients (nine with infarctions and two with primary hematomas) with isolated thalamic lesions and contralateral asterixis were examined using a standard electromyographic and neuroimaging protocol. Asterixis was a short-duration phenomenon associated with a hemiataxia hypesthesia syndrome in all patients. Electromechanical synchronization was constant for the two silent period types. The anatomic data strongly suggest that ventral lateral or lateral posterior thalamus are concerned in the pathophysiology of thalamic asterixis.