Summary: Diagnostic dilemmas, cryptogenic infarcts account for almost a third of all stroke subtypes. But if you break it down, it's really not so complicated. In our tenth episode, Dr. Noah Levinson gets some insight into the diagnostic approach of this confounding condition. BrainWaves podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used to guide medical decision making in routine clinical practice. Any cases discussed in this episode are fictional and do not contain any patient health identifying information. The content in this episode was vetted and approved by Michael Mullen. REFERENCES 1. Hart RG, Diener HC, Coutts SB, Easton JD, Granger CB, O'Donnell MJ, Sacco RL, Connolly SJ and Cryptogenic Stroke EIWG. Embolic strokes of undetermined source: the case for a new clinical construct. The Lancet Neurology. 2014;13:429-38. 2. Jacobs BS, Boden-Albala B, Lin IF and Sacco RL. Stroke in the young in the northern Manhattan stroke study. Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation. 2002;33:2789-93. 3. Putaala J, Metso AJ, Metso TM, Konkola N, Kraemer Y, Haapaniemi E, Kaste M and Tatlisumak T. Analysis of 1008 consecutive patients aged 15 to 49 with first-ever ischemic stroke: the Helsinki young stroke registry. Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation. 2009;40:1195-203. 4. Bang OY, Lee PH, Joo SY, Lee JS, Joo IS and Huh K. Frequency and mechanisms of stroke recurrence after cryptogenic stroke. Annals of neurology. 2003;54:227-34.
