Abstract
Background and Purpose: Whether the incidence of dysarthria after acute internal capsule and corona radiata infarction differs between cerebral hemispheres has not been well studied. We considered the effect of left dominance of the area on articulation.Methods: We retrospectively studied 886 consecutive cerebrovascular disease patients who were admitted to Asahikawa Medical University Hospital during a 5-year period.Results: Ninety-six patients with a single cerebral infarction in the area of the internal capsule and corona radiata were enrolled. Forty-three patients presented acute dysarthria. Of them, 30 (69.8%) had infarcts on the left side, and 13 (30.2%) had infarcts on the right side. Among the patients without dysarthria, 24 (45.3%) had left-side infarcts, and 29 (54.7%) had right-side infarcts. A chi-square test revealed that dysarthria appeared significantly more frequently after left-side infarction (OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.20-6.50).Conclusion: Dysarthria after acute cerebral infarction in the area of the internal capsule and corona radiata is significantly more frequently caused by a left-side lesion.
