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Abstract Objectives: This study aimed to identify the frequency, clinical characteristics, and neuroimaging of early (within the first week) PSMDs. Methods: A prospective observational study recruited patients with acute stroke. Patients were assessed for the presence of PSMDs during the first week of stroke onset and scored by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Patients with PSMDs were assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin tremor rating scale, the abnormal involuntary movement scale, and the scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia. Results: A total of 600 patients were recruited; 21 patients (3.5%) with PSMDs were detected. Thirteen (2.2%) patients presented with intention tremor/ataxia and eight (1.3%) presented with other movement disorders (MDs) (most commonly, chorea and tremor). One patient presented by periodic left upper limb shaking with right subcortical watershed infarction, and one patient developed palatal myoclonus with right middle cerebral artery infarction. Patients with PSMDs had significantly lower stroke severity (NIHSS) and were more likely to have lacunar strokes (p < 0.001 and < 0.006, respectively) than patients without MDs. Early PSMDs were more associated with posterior circulation strokes (84.25%), depression (severe in 42.9%) and cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Early PSMDs are commonly hyperkinetic, more associated with small vessel disease and less severe and posterior circulation strokes and commonly accompanied by depression and cognitive impairment, implying their clinical importance for proper management of stroke patients. |