An Unusual Presentation of Stroke and Reperfusion: A Case Report

Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a mainstay of therapy in acute ischemic stroke but transient neurologic changes related to reperfusion have not been well described. One of the authors (ISN) experienced a cardioembolic stroke due to apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with a left ventricular apical aneurysm. He received tPA and we describe his unusual cognitive symptoms during the infusion. The patient’s presenting neurologic deficit improved with tPA, suggesting reperfusion. His subsequent restlessness, disorientation, and déjà vu lasted about 10 minutes and resolved spontaneously. Imaging studies confirmed an ischemic infarction in the left posterior cerebral artery (PCA) distribution. Cardiac events, including arrhythmias related to coronary reperfusion after myocardial infarction, are well described. Neurologic events due to reperfusion have not been previously described in patients with stroke. We describe a case of transient neurologic symptoms during revascularization of an embolic stroke.