Clinical Reasoning: An 81-year-old woman with decreased consciousness and fluctuating right facial droop

Abstract

An 81-year-old woman presented to the hospital after a week of intermittent episodes of decreased level of consciousness, right facial droop, and slurred speech, lasting approximately 30 minutes. Her medical history included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dyslipidemia, orthostatic hypotension, and 2 previous TIAs. She had fallen once in the preceding week, presumably as a result of her drowsiness. On examination, she was afebrile with a heart rate of 81 bpm and a blood pressure of 108/65 mm Hg. She was alert and cooperative, but disoriented to the year and location. Language examination was normal. Cranial nerves, motor, coordination, and sensory examinations were all normal without any focal deficits. However, when assessed during one of her episodes, she was less responsive, had decreased verbal output, and was noted to have a right facial droop. Basic serologic tests (complete blood count, electrolytes, renal function tests) were unremarkable. A head CT showed bilateral subarachnoid hemorrhage over the cerebral hemispheres without further abnormality.