Hemiparesis is best described as which of the following?

Hemiparesis is best described as which of the following?

• A. Paralysis of both legs.
• B. Weakness on one side of the body post-CVA.
• C. Slurred speech.
• D. Loss of vision in one eye.

Answer: (B)

Hemiparesis is a motor deficit characterized by weakness on one side of the body, usually resulting from a unilateral brain injury such as a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). It reflects impaired motor pathways and typically affects the face, arm, and leg on the same side, and is often contralateral to the brain lesion. Importantly, it denotes weakness rather than complete paralysis; when movement is totally lost on one side, that would be hemiplegia. The other options describe different problems: slurred speech points to speech motor control or language areas (dysarthria or aphasia), and loss of vision in one eye is a monocular visual loss from a peripheral eye or optic nerve issue. Paralysis of both legs would be paraplegia, not unilateral weakness.

Hemiparesis is a motor deficit characterized by weakness on one side of the body, usually resulting from a unilateral brain injury such as a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). It reflects impaired motor pathways and typically affects the face, arm, and leg on the same side, and is often contralateral to the brain lesion. Importantly, it denotes weakness rather than complete paralysis; when movement is totally lost on one side, that would be hemiplegia. The other options describe different problems: slurred speech points to speech motor control or language areas (dysarthria or aphasia), and loss of vision in one eye is a monocular visual loss from a peripheral eye or optic nerve issue. Paralysis of both legs would be paraplegia, not unilateral weakness.