Monday, October 7, 2013

Headache & Weakness



Case (What's the diagnosis, how do you know, and what is your management strategy?):

A 25-year-old female presented to the emergency department complaining of flashing lights in her right eye that started one hour earlier while watching a home movie. The patient reported that while trying to read, she was unable to discern the words but could understand words spoken to her. She also felt disoriented and thought that she was slurring her words. Following the onset of numbness in her lips, she noted weakness in her right leg. A bilateral parietal headache occurred shortly after the symptoms began. She denied any history of headaches and had no other medical problems. She was not pregnant and was not taking any medications. She denied use of illicit drugs or alcohol. Her family medical history was negative for migraine headaches. She was afebrile, with blood pressure 152/76, heart rate 96, respiratory rate 24, and oxygen saturation 100%. On physical examination, she had ptosis of her right eye and decreased sensation around the right side of her mouth. A right homonymous hemianopsia was present. Her right lower extremity muscle strength was 4/5 compared to 5/5 on left lower extremity. She ambulated well but had difficulty turning around to return to bed, stating she felt disoriented. Her headache was persistent during the examination but she had no photophobia. Complete blood count and electrolytes were within normal limits. Her urine drug screen was negative. There were no acute findings on head CT without contrast. Within 2 hours, her symptoms and headache completely resolved. In a young female with no prior medical history, what could this be?


Click here for the source of this case, the answers to the case, and a good review on management of this illness.

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