Case report of a patient who underwent thrombolysis of a "silent" thrombus in the middle cerebral artery.
BACKGROUND
Some stroke patients present with mild or absent measurable neurologic deficits in spite of a significant thromboembolic event. A thrombus in the distal region of the middle cerebral artery may have such a presentation. CT angiography in the acute phase helps to identify the culprit thrombus. Thrombolysis might be beneficial in these patients in spite of the lack of measurable neurologic deficits. We present a patient with a 'silent' thrombus in the middle cerebral artery.


METHODS
A 70-year-old man presented with a history of fluctuating neurologic symptoms for 2 days. Neurologic examination at the time of presentation revealed no measurable deficits. CT angiography showed a thrombus in the M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery which was treated with intravenous thrombolysis. Patient did not have recurrence of symptoms after thrombolysis. MR angiogram a day after thrombolysis showed partial recanalization of the artery.


CONCLUSIONS
Some stroke patients with an intracranial thrombus may present with minimal or absent measurable neurologic deficits. CT angiography is a useful tool in identifying the thrombus. Intravenous thrombolysis may be beneficial in stroke patients presenting with a "silent" thrombus.
Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. drtitto@yahoo.com
Titto T
TT
Idicula
Lars
L
Thomassen
D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000473:pathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed