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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Protocol for Stroke Onset Time Estimation in Permanent Cerebral Ischemia
Published on: September 16, 2017
[Ischemic stroke revealed by a thunderclap headache: contribution of diffusion-weighted mri sequences]
1Service de Neurologie et Pathologie Neurovasculaire, (EA 2691), Hôpital Salengro, CHRU de Lille, 59037 Lille Cedex.
Introduction:
Sub-arachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral venous thrombosis and cerebral reversible angiopathies are the main causes of secondary thunderclap headache. Ischemic stroke is rarely revealed by thunderclap headache.
Case Report:
A 80-year-old woman developed for the first time a thunderclap headache associated with transient distal motor deficit of the right hand. Diffusion-weighted sequences revealed a recent left infarct in a vascular border zone.
Conclusion:
Ischemic stroke is a rare cause of thunderclap headache but practitioners should bear in mind this etiology when the diagnostic work-up is negative. Diffusion-weighted sequences of the brain MRI can provide the diagnosis.
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