Hemiballismus is an unusual complication of brain metastasis of lung cancer. A 62-year-old woman suddenly presented with an acute movement disorder characterized by irregular, involuntary, and large-amplitude movements of the left half of her body. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed metastasis in the right thalamic region. A whole-body CT scan revealed a lung tumor, while a biopsy showed small cell lung carcinoma. Vascular lesions that affect the basal ganglia, particularly the subthalamic nucleus, are the most common cause of hemiballismus. Hemiballismus is generally treated with antipsychotics such as tetrabenazine and haloperidol, but the primary treatment is the causal one. This was demonstrated in our patient since, after completion of the radio-chemotherapy sessions, the hemiballismus gradually decreased.
Keywords: brain metastases; hemiballismus; lung cancer; tetrabenazine; the subthalamic nuleus.
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