Final answer:
Hemiplegia is caused by brain damage such as a stroke and involves paralysis of one side of the body, it is not synonymous with Bell palsy, hemiparesis or paraplegia. The correct answer is D. stroke.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hemiplegia is a condition characterized by paralysis on one side of the body typically caused by brain damage, such as from a stroke. It is not the same as Bell palsy, which is a temporary paralysis of facial muscles, nor is it synonymous with hemiparesis, which refers to weakness rather than complete paralysis on one side of the body. Paraplegia differs from hemiplegia in that it involves the loss of sensation and movement in both legs and possibly the lower part of the trunk, whereas hemiplegia affects one entire side of the body including one arm and one leg.
During a hemorrhagic stroke, the presence of bleeding within the cranial vault disrupts normal brain function, which may result in hemiplegia if the stroke affects one hemisphere of the brain. Similarly, a spinal cord injury that causes a hemisection may lead to hemiplegia. In contrast, a complete severing of the spinal cord would typically result in paraplegia. Therefore, the correct answer to the multiple-choice question is D. stroke.