Pathological left-handedness: Stroke and seizures

Abstract

Lily weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces at birth and, apart from mild jaundice, was a healthy infant. Her proud parents were optimistic about their firstborn 's new life and, if asked, would have said that they did not expect her to have medical problems, because no one on either side of the family had any chronic medical conditions. When Lily was around 2 years of age, her parents observed that she seemed to prefer her left-hand for tasks such as coloring and eating. They were somewhat surprised by this because they knew that handedness tended to be a hereditary trait and were not aware of any relatives who were left-handed. Then, as their daughter started preschool, Lily 's parents observed that her left-hand preference seemed particularly pronounced. In fact, it seemed as though Lily were not using her right hand much at all. Curiosity led to closer observation, which revealed a subtle dragging of her right leg with a tendency to throw it outward when she walked and ran. © 2010 Springer-Verlag New York.