Some of the most common stroke mimics are seizures, migraine, fainting, serious infections and functional neurological disorder (FND).
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a stroke that lasts only a few minutes. It occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is briefly interrupted. TIA symptoms, which usually occur suddenly, are similar to those of stroke but do not last as long.
Call 9-1-1 immediately if any of these signs of stroke appear: Numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg; Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech; Trouble seeing in one or both eyes; Trouble walking, dizziness, or problems with balance; severe headache with no known cause.
The impact of a misdiagnosed or undiagnosed stroke. Around a quarter of all strokes are fatal. Misdiagnosis of a stroke can elevate the chances of the stroke being fatal, or you or your family member suffering long-term effects and disabilities, such as a brain injury, where it is not.
Silent strokes typically have no symptoms and only show up on brain scans after the fact. When symptoms do occur, they are usually subtle. For example, a person may develop imbalance or clumsiness that only lasts for a few days . Symptoms of a TIA are the same as those of a full stroke, but they do not last very long.
In around 20% of cases, the symptoms aren't due to a stroke. The person will have more checks and tests to find out what's wrong. Some of the most common stroke mimics are seizures, migraine, fainting, serious infections and functional neurological disorder (FND).
Common Stroke Misdiagnosis Testing
They see a normal CT-scan and they do not do the next step to get the CTA, which is the CT with contrast. A normal CT-scan does not mean that a person is not having a stroke. It means that the stroke might be early on and there is still time to save the brain before it dies.
In a study by Kattah et al. in acute vestibular syndrome patients, where initial MRI had shown a false negative result in 12% of cases, HINTS showed an overall sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 96% for diagnosing stroke. This also included patients with pure cerebellar stroke [25].
Some people have strokes without realizing it. They're called silent strokes, and they either have no easy-to-recognize symptoms, or you don't remember them. But they do cause permanent damage in your brain.
One study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.
A pre-stroke is another name for a transient ischemic attack (TIA, and also called a mini stroke), which is a temporary loss of blood flow or low oxygen to an area of the brain that can cause stroke symptoms. Unlike a stroke, a pre-stroke does not damage brain cells or cause permanent damage.
Unfortunately, most people don't actually find out they've suffered from a silent stroke until they see a doctor for another condition and are ordered to have an MRI or a CT scan. At that point, their doctor may notice small areas of damage in the brain indicating a silent stroke.
In various studies, the most common stroke mimics include brain tumors (gliomas, meningiomas, and adenomas are the most common ones) (4), toxic or metabolic disorders (such as hypoglycemia, hypercalcemia, hyponatremia, uremia, hepatic encephalopathy, hyperthyroidism, thyroid storm (4-6), infectious disorders (e.g. ...
The disease primarily affects children, but can also occur in adults. In children, the first symptom of moyamoya disease is often stroke or recurrent transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), also known as “mini-strokes," that are frequently accompanied by muscular weakness or paralysis affecting one side of the body.
Myasthenia gravis as a 'stroke mimic' – it's all in the history.
Strokes may not be seen on a CT scan for several reasons. It can sometimes take several hours for the brain to appear abnormal after the onset of stroke.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE DIFFUSION
MRI with diffusion is quickly becoming the gold standard in acute stroke imaging. Once a hemorrhagic stroke has been excluded by CT, MR diffusion improves stroke detection from 50% to more than 95%. Diffusion MR noninvasively detects ischemic changes within minutes of stroke onset.
Usually, a silent stroke is discovered unexpectedly on a brain CT or brain MRI. These imaging tests can easily distinguish past strokes from recent strokes.
Other common stroke mimics include migraines, syncope, sepsis, brain tumor and metabolic derangement (low sodium or low blood sugar).
Any irregularities or causes for concern show up in a CT scan approximately six to eight hours after the onset of the first signs of a stroke. During a CT scan, the patient may be intravenously injected with dyes, which will highlight any abnormal areas in the scan, giving doctors a clearer view of the head.
Diagnostic tests
Your healthcare provider will order tests to help rule out other health problems with similar signs or symptoms. Imaging tests look at the blood vessels in your brain. These images will help determine what type of stroke you had and exactly where it happened in your brain.
Certain blood tests can provide crucial information about a stroke necessary for recovery and prevention. If you've suffered a stroke or have had symptoms of a stroke, you need to be fully evaluated by a doctor to get the right diagnosis and treatment.
A CT scan can show a hemorrhage, tumor, stroke and other conditions. There are different types of CT scans that your doctor may use depending on your situation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – MRIs can be used to detect brain tissue damaged by an ischemic stroke or brain hemorrhages.