Bilateral cerebellar ataxia as the sole manifestation of a unilateral rostral pontine tegmental infarct

Abstract

It has been reported that a small infarct of the pons can lead to various clinical syndromes such as pure motor hemiparesis, sensorimotor stroke, ataxic hemiparesis, dysarthria-clumsy hand syndrome, or ataxic tetraparesis.1 However, bilateral, cerebellar ataxia as the sole manifestation of rostral pontine tegmental infarction has not been described. We report a patient with isolated bilateral cerebellar ataxia as the only sign of a rostral pontine tegmental infarct. This unique presentation reflected the selective involvement of part of the decussation of the superior cerebellar peduncle.