Pure Sensory Thalamic Stroke Presenting As Hemiballismus: A Case Report

Strokes are a major cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe. An ischemic stroke of thalamic origin should be considered if a patient presents with a set of non-localizing symptoms such as speech issues, sensory abnormalities, chorea-like movements, ataxia and confusion that cannot be explained by a single lesion. A 78-year-old female with a past medical history of hypertension and smoking developed right-hand numbness and ataxia that progressively worsened to numbness of the entire right side of the body and right-arm hemiballismus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed an acute left thalamic ischemic stroke as the cause of her symptoms. Our case report highlights the rare clinical presentation of thalamic strokes that can aid in the diagnosis and localization of such pathologies. Further research regarding the best therapy for these post-stroke movement pathologies is needed.