Pontine ataxic hemiparesis studied by a high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging system.

Using a high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging system, we studied 3 patients who had exhibited pontine ataxic hemiparesis. In each patient, the ischemic lesions responsible for the contralateral ataxia were located in the dorsomedial basis pontis. The isointensity bands in the ischemic area on T2-weighted images showed the spared transverse fibers originating from the contralateral pontine nuclei, and this may explain the cause of the unilateral ataxia.