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Unilateral temporal lobe stroke causing ischemic transient global amnesia: role for diffusion-weighted imaging in the
D M Greer1, P W Schaefer, L H Schwamm
1Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Summary
Transient global amnesia (TGA) may be caused by ischemia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an acute infarct in a patient with TGA, suggesting ischemia as a cause.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a condition characterized by sudden, temporary memory loss.
- The potential role of ischemia in TGA etiology has been hypothesized but not definitively proven.
Observation:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 77-year-old female patient presenting with classic TGA symptoms.
- Imaging was conducted 4 hours and 6 days post-symptom onset.
Findings:
- Initial diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) imaging indicated an acute infarct in the left mesial temporal lobe.
- Follow-up T2-weighted imaging confirmed the presence of an ischemic infarct, even after symptom resolution.
Implications:
- Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) enables early identification of small ischemic lesions.
- This technique may help detect ischemic TGA, prompting evaluation for embolic sources.