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Generalized chorea due to basal ganglia lacunar infarcts
K D Sethi1, F T Nichols, F Yaghmai
1Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912.
Insights
Generalized chorea in adults, often linked to degenerative conditions, can also stem from vascular disease. This case highlights multiple basal ganglia infarcts as a cause of adult-onset chorea.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Vascular Neurology
- Neurodegenerative Diseases
Background:
- Adult-onset generalized chorea is typically attributed to neurodegenerative disorders.
- Vascular lesions are more commonly associated with hemichorea than generalized chorea.
Observation:
- A 74-year-old woman presented with generalized chorea.
- Autopsy revealed multiple lacunar infarcts in the basal ganglia as the cause.
Findings:
- The patient's generalized chorea was pathologically confirmed to be caused by multiple lacunar infarcts.
- This finding challenges the conventional understanding of chorea etiology in adults.
Implications:
- Vascular disease, specifically basal ganglia infarcts, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of adult-onset generalized chorea.
- This case broadens the etiological spectrum for choreiform movement disorders.
- Further research into vascular contributions to chorea is warranted.
Abstract:
Although hemichorea is often ascribed to a vascular lesion, generalized chorea of adult onset is often thought to be due to degenerative diseases. We describe a 74-year-old woman with generalized chorea that was diagnosed at autopsy as due to multiple lacunar infarcts in the basal ganglia. Generalized chorea in adults may be caused by vascular disease of the basal ganglia.