Diagnosis of Agnosia

Agnosia Diagnosis: Book Excerpts

• Ask the following questions - APHASIA, APRAXIA, AND AGNOSIA

Diagnostic Tests for Agnosia: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about diagnostis of Agnosia.

APHASIA, APRAXIA, AND AGNOSIA: Ask the following questions:
(Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs)

1. Is it intermittent? Episodic aphasia, apraxia, or agnosia would suggest epilepsy, transient ischemic attacks, migraine, or hypertensive encephalopathy.
2. Is it acute or gradual in onset? Acute onset of aphasia, apraxia, or agnosia would suggest a cerebral vascular accident, or if there is fever, the onset of a cerebral abscess. It may also mark the onset of acute encephalitis. The gradual onset of aphasia, apraxia, and agnosia would suggest a tumor or other type of space-occupying lesion.
3. Is there associated headache or papilledema? Headaches with aphasia, apraxia, and agnosia might suggest migraine, but one should not forget a brain tumor. Obviously, papilledema is a sign of a space-occupying lesion.
4. Is there significant dementia? The development of dementia along with the aphasia, apraxia, and agnosia suggest Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, herpes encephalitis, multiple sclerosis, or Korsakoff's psychosis.

DIAGNOSTIC WORKUP

All patients should have a CBC, sedimentation rate, chemistry panel, a VDRL test, and a CT scan of the brain. The CT scan may demonstrate an infarct, a space-occupying lesion, a degenerative disease, or multiple sclerosis. If this is negative, a neurologist should be consulted before ordering MRI or a spinal tap.

If the patient presents with intermittent aphasia, apraxia, or agnosia, an EEG should be done to rule out epilepsy, and a carotid scan should be done to rule out carotid stenosis or carotid plaques with ulceration. Four-vessel angiography may need to be considered, but a neurologist should be consulted before this is done.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs, 2003

 » Next page: Signs of Agnosia

Rate This Website

What do you think about the features of this website? Take our user survey and have your say:

Website User Survey

Medical Tools & Articles:

Next articles:

• Signs of Agnosia
• Misdiagnosis of Agnosia
• Undiagnosed Agnosia
• Misdiagnosis of Underlying Causes of Agnosia
• Treatments for Agnosia

Tools & Services:

• Bookmark this page
• Take a survey relating to Agnosia
• Symptom Search
• Symptom Checker
• Medical Dictionary
• Give your feedback

Medical Articles:

• Disease & Treatments Search
• Misdiagnosis Center
• Full list of interesting articles

Forums & Message Boards

• Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
• I cannot get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for my condition?
• See all the Boards.

Enter your search terms Submit search form
Search The Web Search wrongdiagnosis.com

Common Health Mistakes

Symptom
Checker

Search Specialists by State and City