Todd Paralysis in a Pregnant Mother Presenting as Acute Stroke: Case Report

Abstract

: Todd’s paralysis (TP) is relatively uncommon condition that can occur immediately after an epileptic seizure. It is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome that presents with acute-onset neurological findings, such as paralysis, paresthesia, aphasia, hemianopsia, and an altered state of consciousness. This may be accompanied by cytotoxic edema on diffusion MRI. This case illustrates a 28-week pregnant patient with TP who presented with acute stroke-like clinical and radiological findings. The patient was presented to the emergency room with left side weakness following focal onset generalized seizure. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated diffusion restriction which led to the initial consideration of acute stroke. However, after the disappearance of the neurologic deficit and the resolution of the diffusion restriction in the control MRI, the diagnosis shifted away from acute stroke to the postictal TP. It is important to keep in mind that TP may mimic acute stroke even in the presence of an acute brain lesion in the brain MRI. The differentiation is necessary as each of them has completely different treatment and etiology.