SGEM#364 - By admin - April 9, 2022
…Transient global amnesia (TGA) is an idiopathic acute neurological disorder that presents with sudden onset anterograde memory loss. It was first described as a syndrome in 1956 by Courjon and Guyotat and also by Bender. Fisher and Adams formally described as TGA in 1964. The usual presentation is a patient between 50 and 70 years of age who are cognitively and neurologically intact but asking repetitive questions, unable to form new memory. Symptoms do not last very long and resolve within 24 hours. The incidence has been reported as 23.5 per 100,000 people per year and is more common in people who get migraine headaches. TGA is often precipitated by physical or emotional stressors, pain, the Valsalva maneuver, hot or cold-water immersion or sexual intercourse. Diagnosing TGA combines items put forward by Hodges and Warlow and Caplan. This results in seven diagnostic criteria for TGA…
CLINICAL QUESTION: WHAT IS THE SENSITIVITY OF DIFFUSION-WEIGHTED MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (DW-MRI) AS A FUNCTION OF TIME FROM SYMPTOM ONSET COMPARED TO CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF TGA?
SGEM BOTTOM LINE: URGENT DW-MRI FOR PATIENTS MEETING STANDARD DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR TGA IS A LOW YIELD INTERVENTION.
