{"title":"Capsular warning syndrome: Nighttime blood pressure drops, clinical awareness, and therapeutic approach.","authors":"Erum Shariff, Rizwana Shahid","doi":"10.4103/tjem.tjem_220_24","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Capsular warning syndrome (CWS) is a rare condition marked by recurrent, stereotypical transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) affecting the face, arm, and leg, without cortical involvement. It is associated with a high risk of a full-blown stroke within 7 days. The exact pathophysiological mechanism and optimal management strategies remain debated. It is crucial to distinguish CWS from crescendo TIAs and consider reperfusion therapy if new episodes occur within the therapeutic window for systemic reperfusion, in order to prevent a disabling stroke. We present the case of a 53-year-old male who arrived at the emergency department (ED) with right hemiparesis and facial weakness lasting for 1 h. He had experienced four recurrent, stereotypical episodes over the past 7 h and was diagnosed with a TIA, despite being within the therapeutic window for thrombolysis. He was started on dual antiplatelet therapy, high-dose statins, and management of other vascular risk factors. However, within 24 h, his condition progressed to a complete stroke with severe hemiparesis and facial weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed infarction in the left hemisphere, while a computed tomography angiogram was normal. This case underscores the importance of prompt recognition of CWS in the ED, enabling activation of stroke services and the consideration of reperfusion therapy when appropriate, to minimize the risk of a disabling stroke.</p>","PeriodicalId":46536,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine","volume":"25 3","pages":"246-249"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12309815/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4103/tjem.tjem_220_24","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"EMERGENCY MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Capsular warning syndrome (CWS) is a rare condition marked by recurrent, stereotypical transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) affecting the face, arm, and leg, without cortical involvement. It is associated with a high risk of a full-blown stroke within 7 days. The exact pathophysiological mechanism and optimal management strategies remain debated. It is crucial to distinguish CWS from crescendo TIAs and consider reperfusion therapy if new episodes occur within the therapeutic window for systemic reperfusion, in order to prevent a disabling stroke. We present the case of a 53-year-old male who arrived at the emergency department (ED) with right hemiparesis and facial weakness lasting for 1 h. He had experienced four recurrent, stereotypical episodes over the past 7 h and was diagnosed with a TIA, despite being within the therapeutic window for thrombolysis. He was started on dual antiplatelet therapy, high-dose statins, and management of other vascular risk factors. However, within 24 h, his condition progressed to a complete stroke with severe hemiparesis and facial weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed infarction in the left hemisphere, while a computed tomography angiogram was normal. This case underscores the importance of prompt recognition of CWS in the ED, enabling activation of stroke services and the consideration of reperfusion therapy when appropriate, to minimize the risk of a disabling stroke.
期刊介绍:
The Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine (Turk J Emerg Med) is an International, peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes clinical and experimental trials, case reports, invited reviews, case images, letters to the Editor, and interesting research conducted in all fields of Emergency Medicine. The Journal is the official scientific publication of the Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey (EMAT) and is printed four times a year, in January, April, July and October. The language of the journal is English. The Journal is based on independent and unbiased double-blinded peer-reviewed principles. Only unpublished papers that are not under review for publication elsewhere can be submitted. The authors are responsible for the scientific content of the material to be published. The Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine reserves the right to request any research materials on which the paper is based. The Editorial Board of the Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine and the Publisher adheres to the principles of the International Council of Medical Journal Editors, the World Association of Medical Editors, the Council of Science Editors, the Committee on Publication Ethics, the US National Library of Medicine, the US Office of Research Integrity, the European Association of Science Editors, and the International Society of Managing and Technical Editors.