Ruppert et al reported features of restless legs syndrome seen in patients with a history of stroke. The authors are from the University of Strasbourg, University of Franche-Comté.
Patient selection: presence of the restless legs syndrome (RLS)
Clinical features:
(1) Often the presence of bilateral and symmetrical restless legs.
(2) Lesions consistent with infarcts are seen on MRI and/or PET scans of the brain.
(3) The patient has a history of stroke.
(4) No other diagnosis explains the RLS better.
Sites of infarction:
(1) lenticulostriate region and/or parts of the caudate nucleus (in the distribution of the middle cerebral artery via the lenticulostriate arteries))
(2) ventral brainstem (in the distribution of the perforating branches of the basilar arteries) with involvement of the pons and/or medulla oblangata
(3) posterior cerebellar vermis (in the distribution of the superior cerebellar artery)
(4) occipital region (in the distribution of the posterior cerebral artery)
where:
• Brainstem infarcts involved either the corticospinal tract and/or cortico-pontocerebellar fibers.
