A Clinical Example of the "Limping Brain" Syndrome: A Case Report

Cerebral hypoperfusion that causes neurologic def- icits lasting 24 hours is invariably associated with infarction on brain imaging. We present the case of a patient with persistent aphasia that fluctuated over 1 week, left middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis, and hypoperfusion of the left MCA territory documented by single-photon emission tomography (SPECT). The patient underwent angioplasty of the left MCA, and his aphasia resolved. Repeat SPECT showed resolu- tion of left MCA territory hypoperfusion, and fol- low-up MR imaging brain showed no infarct. We present this case as a rare clinical example of "limping brain syndrome."