Cerebral infarction producing sudden isolated foot drop

J Clin Neurol. 2007 Mar;3(1):67-9. doi: 10.3988/jcn.2007.3.1.67. Epub 2007 Mar 20.

Abstract

Foot drop usually results from lesions affecting the peripheral neural pathway related to dorsiflexor muscles, especially the peroneal nerve. Although a central nervous system lesion is suspected when there is a lack of clinical evidence for a lower motor neuron lesion, such cases are extremely rare. We describe a patient with sudden isolated foot drop caused by a small acute cortical infarction in the high convexity of the precentral gyrus. This report indicates that a cortical infarction may have to be considered as a potential cause of foot drop.

Keywords: Cortical infarction; Foot drop.