Cerebral infarction presenting with unilateral isolated foot drop

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neuroscience
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Foot drop, characterized by weakness in ankle and toe dorsiflexor muscles, is a common neurological symptom.
• Typically, foot drop results from lower motor neuron diseases, including peroneal neuropathy, L4-5 radiculopathy, or polyneuropathy.

Observation:

• Upper motor neuron lesions can cause foot drop, but this presentation is exceptionally uncommon.
• This report details an extremely rare instance where foot drop was the isolated presenting symptom.

Findings:

• The patient's foot drop was the sole clinical manifestation of a cerebral infarction (stroke).
• This suggests that even focal neurological deficits like foot drop can, in rare cases, indicate a central nervous system event.

Implications:

• Highlights the importance of considering central causes, such as stroke, in the differential diagnosis of foot drop, even when symptoms appear localized.
• Underscores the need for thorough neurological evaluation to rule out serious underlying conditions presenting with seemingly simple motor deficits.