Foix-Chavany-Marie Syndrome due to Unilateral Anterior Opercular Damage with Contralateral Infarction of Corona Radiata

Fumihito Yoshii; Hiromi Sugiyama; Kazuyuki Kodama; Takahito Irino

doi:10.1159/000503856

Foix-Chavany-Marie Syndrome due to Unilateral Anterior Opercular Damage with Contralateral Infarction of Corona Radiata

Case Rep Neurol. 2019 Nov 21;11(3):319-324. doi: 10.1159/000503856. eCollection 2019 Sep-Dec.

Authors

Fumihito Yoshii^{1

2}, Hiromi Sugiyama³, Kazuyuki Kodama³, Takahito Irino³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Saiseikai Shonan Hiratsuka Hospital, Hiratsuka, Japan.
² Department of Neurology, Tokai University Oiso Hospital, Oiso, Japan.
³ Department of Rehabilitation Technology, Saiseikai Shonan Hiratsuka Hospital, Hiratsuka, Japan.

Abstract

Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome (FCMS) is a rare type of pseudobulbar palsy characterized by automatic-voluntary dissociation of movements of the face, tongue, pharynx, and masticatory muscles. Most cases are due to bilateral ischemic lesions of the anterior operculum, but the syndrome has also been described after unilateral opercular damage, either isolated or associated with contralateral cortico-nuclear tract involvement. We report a patient with FCMS due to right anterior opercular lesion with contralateral infarction of the corona radiata. The patient presented with paralysis of the face and tongue with automatic and voluntary dissociation. To our knowledge, FCMS with this peculiar lesion topography has rarely been reported. We discuss the underlying mechanism with reference to MRI and diffusion tensor imaging.

Keywords: Anterior operculum; Automatic-voluntary dissociation; Dysarthria; Dysphagia; Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome; Pseudobulbar palsy.

Publication types

Case Reports