Transient Asymmetric Skin Temperature during the Acute Phase of Lacunar Infarction in the Basal Ganglia: A Case Report

Chronic stroke patients sometimes exhibit dysautonomia on the opposite side of the brain lesion, and vasomotor changes and sympathetic dysfunction can occur after stroke. In clinical practice, symptoms of coldness can considerably increase patients’ discomfort and pain. This is clinically important but often underestimated due to lack of knowledge and diagnostic tools measuring temperature differences between the limbs. According to previous research on asymmetric cold sensation following stroke, most patients have distressing coldness of the ipsilateral hemiplegic arm and leg following hemispheric or brain stem infarction. We report on a case of a 62-year-old man who complained of coldness and subtle pain on the paretic side during acute phase of lacunar infarction in the basal ganglia, and we quantitatively evaluated this patient by infrared thermography of the limbs and body. KCI Citation Count: 0