Approach to a Patient with Stroke After Flying

Arriving at a definitive diagnosis in case of a patient with neurological symptoms after a low altitude flight is very critical, while at the same time presenting a dilemma in aeromedical decision making. Symptoms of stroke can closely mimic those of neurologic manifestations of decompression sickness. This paper discusses the approach to a case of a 28-year-old male helicopter passenger who developed left-sided numbness of the body after a 1.5 h flight at 13,000 feet altitude and was hospitalized with the diagnosis of transient ischemic attack.