Stroke, Vol 20, 1271-1272, Copyright © 1989 by American Heart Association
Slowly progressive ischemic stroke as first manifestation of essential thrombocythemia
G Benassi, P Ricci, F Calbucci, FM Cacciatore and R D'Alessandro
Institute of Neurology, University of Bologna, Italy.
We report a case of essential thrombocythemia, the only clinical
manifestation of which consisted of neurologic symptoms, including anomic
aphasia, tactile and painful hypesthesia in the right hand, headache, and
Gerstmann syndrome, with a relatively benign and slowly progressive
clinical course. Neuroradiologic examination disclosed a large ischemic
area in the left temporoparietal region. Cerebral angiography revealed an
occlusion of the cortical branches of the left middle cerebral artery with
total sparing of the carotid vessel. These findings are discussed in
relation to the possible pathogenetic mechanisms of the vascular occlusion
due to abnormal platelet function in essential thrombocythemia.