Reversible Foix-Chavany-Marie Syndrome in a patient treated for hydrocephalus

Atypical Presentations of Foix-Chavany-Marie Syndrome (FCMS) in Stroke

Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome (FCMS) presents with anarthria and bilateral (B/L) central facio-linguo-velo-pharyngo-masticatory paralysis with "autonomic voluntary dissociation." The most common cause of FCMS is cerebrovascular disease, while rarer causes include central nervous system infection, developmental disorders, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorders. Even though this syndrome is also referred to as (B/L) anterior operculum syndrome, patients with lesion in sites other than (B/L) opercular regions also can develop the syndrome. In this article we describe two such atypical cases. Case 1: A 66-year-old man with diabetes and hypertension who is a smoker had right-sided hemiplegia one year back developed the syndrome acutely two days before admission. CT brain showed left perisylvian infarct and right internal capsule anterior limb infarct. Case 2: A 48-year-old gentleman, who is a diabetic and hypertensive had right-sided hemiplegia one year back and developed the syndrome acutely two days before admission. CT brain showed (B/L) infarcts in the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Both patients had bifacial, lingual, and pharyngolaryngeal palsy thereby confirming the diagnosis of FCMS. None of them had the classical (B/L) opercular lesions on imaging and one patient did not even have a unilateral opercular lesion. Contrary to the common teaching, (B/L) opercular lesions are not always necessary to produce FCMS and can occur even without opercular lesions at all.

A Case of Foix-Chavany-Marie Syndrome With Asynchronous Bilateral Opercular Infarcts and Chronic Bilateral Cerebellar Infarcts

Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome (FCMS) is characterized by bilateral facio-glosso-pharyngo-masticatory paralysis of voluntary muscles due to bilateral infarction in the anterior opercular region of the brain. Here, we report a case of a 52-year-old female who presented with FCMS due to an acute left anterior opercular stroke in the setting of a chronic asymptomatic right opercular infarct and asymptomatic bilateral cerebellar infarcts. She also had a concurrent acute-on-chronic episode of congestive heart failure exacerbation. She made a significant recovery by the time of hospital discharge.

Importance of Rapid Clinical Recognition of the Anterior Opercular Syndrome (Foix-Chavany-Marie Syndrome): A Case Report

We have described a 55-year-old woman with the anterior opercular syndrome (Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome). The clinical presentation included acute onset of bilateral facial palsy and anarthria. Immediate MRI of the brain revealed acute ischemia in the right opercular region and sequelae after a previous infarction involving the left opercular region. The patient was treated with intravenous thrombolysis resulting in full recovery. The anterior opercular syndrome is rare, and the most common reason is sequential stroke. We emphasize the importance of recognizing this syndrome early, and in all cases, consulting a revascularization center immediately.