Ischemic stroke as the presenting manifestation of localized systemic cancer

A cerebral infarct due to a thrombosis of the left pericallosal artery was the first manifestation of an ovarian adenocarcinoma in a 42-year-old woman. A paraneoplastic origin was suggested by the observation that this patient had chronic intravenous coagulation and subsequently developed migratory thrombophlebitis (Trousseau's syndrome) despite high dose vitamin K antagonists therapy. This was supported by the fact that all manifestations of the hypercoagulable state disappeared following surgical cure of the cancer. Because cerebral infarction can be the first manifestation of a potentially curable cancer, patients with a cerebral infarct of an unknown etiology should be investigated for a malignant process, if there is laboratory or clinical evidence od disseminated intravascular coagulation.