title: Transient global amnesia and amaurosis fugax in a patient with common carotid artery occlusion--a case report.
abstract: The etiology of transient global amnesia (TGA) is debatable. The hypothesis of a thromboembolic cause of TGA has been questioned by recent case control studies. Occlusion of the common carotid artery (CCA) is rare. Although amaurosis fugax (AF) is a hallmark of ipsilateral internal carotid artery disease, its occurrence in CCA occlusion is less known. Association of these three conditions in a patient may imply pathophysiologic significance. Here, the authors report a 76-year-old man who suffered from a spell of TGA and then several attacks of AF of the right eye. Progressive occlusion of the right CCA was documented by repeat carotid duplex scans and was finally confirmed by cerebral angiography. In this patient, the occurrence of CCA occlusion and AF implicates a vascular etiology for the event of TGA. A noninvasive carotid ultrasonographic screen may, therefore, be worthwhile for patients with TGA.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan. chen0050@adm.cgmh.com.tw
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Ro
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Lyu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020757:Amaurosis Fugax / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D020236:Amnesia, Transient Global / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002341:Carotid Artery Thrombosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D012008:Recurrence; D013997:Time Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography