Acute hemichorea-hemiballism as the initial sign of cortical cerebral infarction: A case report

Jin Xiong1,2, Qian Yang1,2, Yong Liu1,2

  • 1School of Clinical Medicine Chengdu Medical College Chengdu Sichuan China.

Neuroprotection (Chichester, England)
|January 2, 2026
PubMed

Hemichorea-hemiballism is classically associated with the contralateral basal ganglia, particularly involving the putamen and subthalamic nucleus, whereas cortical involvement remains a rare etiology. In this case, we present a patient with acute hemichorea-hemiballism secondary to multiple cortical infarcts demonstrated by neuroimaging. We review the literature to explore further significance of cortical-basal ganglia circuit dysfunction in movement disorders. This case highlights both the necessity of considering atypical infarction patterns in acute dyskinesia presentations and the importance of early imaging evaluation combined with targeted therapeutic interventions.

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