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Posterior-variant alien hand syndrome: clinical features and response to rehabilitation
B C Pack1, K J Stewart, P T Diamond
1Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department, University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Virginia, USA. bcp2c@virginia.edu
Purpose:
This case highlights the clinical features and course of recovery of a patient presenting to the rehabilitation service with posterior-variant alien hand syndrome (AHS) following thalamic stroke.
Methods:
Single case report.
Results:
Clinical signs and symptoms included mild hemiparesis, dyspraxia, dysmetria, primary sensory loss and hemispatial neglect. Autonomous movements and personification of the affected extremity which were ego-syntonic in nature were characteristic of posterior-variant AHS. The associated neurological impairments resolved early during the course of rehabilitation and the patient made excellent functional gains.
Conclusion:
This case highlights the distinguishing features differentiating posterior-variant AHS from more classical AHS and underscores the excellent prognosis of this variant.
