Acute onset hemiballismus/hemichorea due to various etiologies: A case series

Abstract

Chorea is irregular, non-rhythmic, involuntary movements that can spread from one part of the body to another for a short time. Ballismus, on the other hand, is characterized with high amplitude choreic movements in the proximal extremities. The mechanism of acute hemichorea/hemiballismus has not been clearly explained. It is generally caused by lesions in the contralateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) and its afferent and efferent connections. Although vascular causes are the most common etiology, toxic-metabolic, inflammatory, infectious, demyelinating, and drug-induced causes have also been reported.