Movement disorders as a complication of acute hemiplegia of childhood
C. E. Quaglieri, R. W. Chun and C. Cleeland
We evaluate three cases of acute hemiplegia in childhood complicated by
tremor and/or choreoathetosis. Each patient experienced the abrupt onset of
hemiplegia thought to be localized to an insult involving the middle
cerebral distribution without associated seizure, trauma, loss of
consciousness or demonstrable cardiac, hematological or neoplastic causes.
All three patients recovered most, if not all, strength on the affected
side, but each was left with a disorder of movement involving the
previously hemiplegic upper extremity. These disorders included resting and
intention tremors, as well as choreoathetosis. Anticholinergic drugs failed
in treating two patients, but biofeedback techniques were quite successful
in one of the two patients so treated.
