A case of diabetes-associated striatal hemorrhage-like lesion causing stroke-like onset of hemiparesis

Diabetes-associated striatal hemorrhage-like lesions represent a currently emerging entity, which develops an acute onset of involuntary movement. We report the case of a diabetes-associated hemorrhagic lesion in the striatum causing a stroke-like onset of hemiparesis. A 75-year-old woman suffering from diabetes experienced a stroke-like onset of left hemiparesis. Brain CT on admission demonstrated a slight high-density area in the right striatum, which disappeared 19 days later without a low-density area in situ. MRI on admission revealed high intensity on the T1-weighted image and slight low intensity on the T2-weighted image in the right striatum. The patient's hemiparesis underwent gradual improvement over a period of 2 weeks. These CT and MRI findings are unusual as a result of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. The hemorrhage was considered to represent a lesion associated with diabetes. This is the first report of a diabetes-associated striatal hemorrhage-like lesion developing stroke-like onset of hemiparesis.