Midlateral medullary infarction presenting with isolated thermoanaesthesia: a case report

Background A small lateral medullary lesion could produce isolated impairment of temperature sensation without concomitant impaired pain sensation. However, only one such case has ever been reported, and there are no reports on subjective symptoms and detailed somatosensory testing. Case presentatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC neurology 2022-07, Vol.22 (1), p.1-268, Article 268
Main Authors: Hanada, Keisuke, Yokoi, Kayoko, Kashida, Natsuko, Shimomura, Ryota, Murata, Daiki, Hirayama, Kazumi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ataxia
Case Report
Cold
Dysphagia
Hands
Hospitalization
Infarction
Lateral medullary infarction
Lateral spinothalamic tract
Magnetic resonance imaging
Medulla oblongata
Pain
Pain perception
Sensation
Thermal sense
Tomography
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Summary:Background A small lateral medullary lesion could produce isolated impairment of temperature sensation without concomitant impaired pain sensation. However, only one such case has ever been reported, and there are no reports on subjective symptoms and detailed somatosensory testing. Case presentation Herein, we report the case of a 53-year-old female patient presenting with impaired temperature sensation on the left half of her body, from the neck down, following a small infarction of the right midlateral medulla. The chronological changes in the patient's introspection regarding impairment of thermoception and the results of detailed somatosensory tests, including thermal sense, are shown in this report. Conclusions Thorough somatosensory tests, personal descriptions of symptoms, and electrophysiological quantification of similar cases are needed to improve our understanding of the neurological separation of the sensations of pain and temperature at the medullary level. Keywords: Lateral medullary infarction, Lateral spinothalamic tract, Thermal sense, Pain
ISSN:1471-2377
1471-2377
DOI:10.1186/s12883-022-02796-x