Medical / non-neurological examinations in suspected circulatory disturbance of the brain

1. Big picture

When a patient presents with suspected stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), the neurologist must localize the lesion and identify the vascular territory, but the medical / non-neurological workup answers equally important questions:

1. Is this really stroke, or a medical mimic? Hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, arrhythmia, syncope, infection, intoxication, electrolyte disturbance, and hypertensive emergency can all mimic neurological disease.

2. Is the patient physiologically stable? Stroke patients may die from aspiration, pneumonia, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, arrhythmia, or respiratory failure, not only from the brain lesi