Experience of Transient Global Amnesia after General Anesthesia : A case report

Lim, Su Jin; Choi, Yong Woo

Case Report

General Article

Anesthesia and Pain Medicine 2008;3(1):75-77.
Published online January 30, 2008.

Experience of Transient Global Amnesia after General Anesthesia : A case report

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. yowooc@catholic.ac.kr

Abstract

Transient global amnesia is characterized by a sudden memory loss of recent and/or remote events and transient inability to acquire new knowledge. Although mostly followed by complete recovery within a day, this rare and unexpected event in recovery phase after general anesthesia should be embarrassing and confusing, so we must proceed with prompt differential diagnosis for other organic intracranial pathology including transient ischemic attack and go on close observation. We describe a case of transient global amnesia of a 66-year-old woman after general anesthesia for excision and biopsy of left neck mass.

Key Words: general anesthesia, recovery period, transient global amnesia