Case Report: Thalamomesencephalic stroke due to vasculitis in a patient with HIV

Abstract

We present a 41-year-old HIV-positive female patient complaining of complete right palpebral ptosis, diplopia, and inability to balance herself. On examination, the right eye was able to move laterally and downwards. The motor exam showed left hemiparesis (4/5) on upper and lower limbs, bilateral Babinski sign with left hemiataxia without the sensory disorder. A computed tomography (CT) angiogram confirmed a diffuse vasculitis with parenchymal changes in the right thalamus and midbrain. CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging angiography demonstrated an ischemic infarct on the right paramedian branch of the posterior cerebral artery territory. This patient did not present clinical manifestations of the thalamic lesion. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a young patient presenting a unilateral thalamomesencephalic ischemic stroke secondary to HIV vasculitis with bilateral Babinski signs and without thalamic signs in the medical literature.