Prosopagnosia, a transient ischemic attack.

Abstract

A 57-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a specific inability to recognize familiar faces or their photographs. However, he knew persons when he heard their voices or saw any special feature of their clothing. This episode lasted 20 hours and was not accompanied by any other neurological deficiency; reading, writing, color distinction and visual function remaining normal.This neurological deficiency episode was proceeded by 2 transient ischemic attacks, of 15 minutes each, declared by right brachiocrxiral paresis and hypalgesia in the same area.The neurological examination, neuropsychological study, tests for visual function and memory, were normal. Vital signs, blood and chemistry were normal. The skull and thorax x-rays, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, aortocranial angiography and computerized tomography were normal.We believe that the clinical data of this patient, because of its semiological characteristics and the two previous neurological deficiency episodes, corresponds to a transient ischemic attack, a sudden beginning episode consisting of a subjective or objective neurological dysfunction with complete regaining of the neurological function over 24 hours.From the anatomical point of view bilateral damage to the inferomedial occipital and temporal cortex is the accepted localization for producing prosopagnosia.To our knowledge this case is the first in which prosopagnosia has been reported as a transient ischemic attack.