Recovery process of bilaterally injured corticoreticulospinal tracts in a patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage: Case report.

Background: A few studies using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) have demonstrated recovery of injured corticoreticulospinal tract (CRT) in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and infarct. However, no study reported on a patient who showed peri-infarct reorganization of an injured CRT following a middle cerebral artery territory infarct.

Methods: A 56-year-old right-handed male patient was diagnosed as spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and underwent clipping for a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm and right frontal extraventricular drainage for IVH at the department of neurosurgery of a university hospital. After onset, he presented with complete weakness of both legs. Methods: The patient was diagnosed as spontaneous SAH and IVH. Methods: Clinical assessment and DTT were performed at 1, 3, 6, and 20 months after onset.

Results: The weakness of both legs showed slow recovery for 10 months until 11 months after onset (medical research council: 6 months; 3/3 and 11 months; 4/4). As a result, he was able to walk independently on an even floor at 6 months and on stairs at 11 months after onset. The discontinued both CRTs on 1-month DTT were restored to the cerebral cortex on 3-month DTT, and then thickened consecutively on 6-month and 20-month DTTs.

Conclusions: The recovery process of injured CRTs concurrent with recovery of leg weakness was demonstrated in a patient with SAH using DTT. This study has important implications in terms of regaining gait function by the recovery of bilaterally injured CRTs which was facilitated by the long-term rehabilitation.