Son had severe dizziness & TIA, maybe

I forgot to mention that the neurologist said that our son had an ischemic stroke but that there wasn’t a clot.  

He also said that it wasn’t a TIA.  

I thought that an ischemic stroke by definition was one where a clot was present?

Thanks for reaching out, John. I am sorry to hear what your son has been though over the last week. It sounds as if there has been some conflicting information provided, and that can be really challenging.

It is interesting that you have experienced  something similar, and it sounds like your son has had no residual issues following the event. Has he been back to his Gp to be checked for inner ear issues as well?

 Has your son been referred to a neurologist for follow up outside of the hospital? I would suggest that he speaks with his Gp about the possibility of a referral. The neurologist could then review your son’s scans and test results and clarify the diagnosis, whether that be a stroke or a TIA.  Having more than one neurologist review your sons case may provide more answers and help put all your minds at ease. If it was a TIA, they are caused by a clot, but do not cause permanent damage to the brain tissues surrounding the blockage. Due to this, they do not show up on MRI or CT scans. This might be something to clarify with your son’s neurologist. It sounds like you are already familiar with what an ischaemic stroke is, but if you wanted more information, you can find it here, or more information about TIA’s here.

When the hospital provided the information on the narrowing of the veins in his cerebellum, did they indicate this was only specific to his cerebellum, or that it might be a systemic issue throughout his body? It would be worth speaking with his GP about additional scans, and perhaps a referral to a vascular specialist as well. This might help in clarifying whether the issue is systemic, or only associated with the vessels in his brain. They could then talk with him in more detail about the options for him.  The Gp will also be able to talk with your son about whether it might be a narrowing caused by a build up of plaque, although from his previous tests it doesn’t sound like this is likely.  

If you would like to talk more about the experience your son has been through, you or he are welcome to give us a call on StrokeLine on Ph. 1800 787 653.  You would also be welcome to send us an email on strokeline@strokefoundation.org,au.  

Kind regards

Siobhan (StrokeLine)