[Transitory ischemic attacks with hemiballismus].

Three patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease suffered attacks of transient dyskinesias, consistent with hemiballism. Angiographically all of them showed occlusive disease of the cerebral arteries. Two patients had lesions in different cerebral arteries, but showed signs and symptoms of insufficiency of the carotid artery contralateral to the dyskinesias, which was occluded in one patient and severely stenosed in the other. The third patient had frank occlusion of the basilar artery. The blood supply of the nucleus subthalamicus receiving contributions from the carotid and vertebral arterial system as well would explain transient hemiballism as a symptom of the insufficiency of both arterial systems and would further be one of the possible explanations for the low frequency of this symptom. On the other hand the appearance of transient hemiballism should be regarded as indicative of significant occlusive disease of the cerebral arteries.