What are typical signs of a diffuse injury stroke?

• A. Unilateral weakness with ipsilateral facial droop.
• B. Bilateral symmetrical sensorimotor deficits above and below the shoulders.
• C. Isolated memory loss.
• D. Predominant aphasia.

Answer: (B)

When brain injury is diffuse, signs tend to be bilateral and symmetrical because widespread areas or major white-matter tracts are involved rather than a single focal region. That pattern produces motor and sensory impairment on both sides of the body, affecting proximal and distal regions alike. So bilateral symmetrical sensorimotor deficits spanning both the upper and lower parts of the body fit a diffuse process, rather than a localized vascular stroke.

Unilateral weakness with a facial droop would suggest a focal lesion in one hemisphere or brainstem, not diffuse injury. Isolated memory loss or predominant aphasia point to dysfunction in specific areas (temporal lobe for memory, language-dominant areas for aphasia) rather than diffuse bilateral involvement.