Acute Post-stroke Hemiparkinsonism and Hemiparesis: A Unique Case with Successful Therapy

The diagnosis of a new onset movement disorder after a stroke has important clinical implications. The early assessment and timely diagnosis of post-stroke disorders is essential for influencing long-term outcomes. Localizing lesions and determining the underlying etiology is vital in targeting appropriate therapy. New and sudden onset of hemiparkinsonism with hemiparesis, rigidity, and tremor following an acute ischemic stroke is described here. This presentation was clinically diagnosed as acute post-stroke parkinsonism (APSP). The patient's level of impairment was significant enough to compromise his activities of daily living (ADL), physical therapy (PT), and occupational therapy (OT) in an inpatient rehabilitation center. In the inpatient rehabilitation center, the patient received a trial of levodopa for suspected APSP. After levodopa therapy was initiated, we observed an improvement of his parkinsonian features with a sustained response and reached the conclusion that the clinical recognition of post-stroke parkinsonism treated with a targeted trial with levodopa may improve the quality of life. Proper treatment of APSP has the potential to provide the best opportunity for recovery and positively influence the long-term outcomes in similar patients.