Abstract

A 55-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus presented with abnormal left-sided movements of her arm and leg. Her initial CT scan of head showed a hyperintensity in the right basal ganglia. A 3 T MR scan of brain showed changes consistent with right basal ganglia haemorrhage. We diagnosed hemichorea–hemiballism syndrome. We treated her movement disorder with tetrabenazine and sulpiride and improved her glucose control. After 4 months, she still has mildly abnormal left-sided movements but can function independently again. In this article, we discuss her imaging and review the literature on hemichorea–hemiballism.