title: Global aphasia without hemiparesis: multiple etiologies.
abstract: Acute global aphasia without hemiparesis has been considered pathognomonic of embolic stroke. During 1 year, we encountered six patients with this syndrome. Two had multiple strokes, probably embolic. One had atrial fibrillation; at autopsy, there were metastases as well as multiple infarcts in the left hemisphere. One had a single large infarct in the territory of an anterior branch of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), one had subarachnoid hemorrhage of unknown origin, and one had a sylvian fissure hematoma with intraparenchymal extension from a ruptured MCA aneurysm. Nonembolic etiologies are therefore also possible and include conditions that bar anticoagulation.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001037:Aphasia / Q000209:etiology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D002542:Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed