17

The use of brain CT scans is often limited by the financial means of patients in Madagascar. Neurological examination therefore plays an important role in making topographical clinical diagnosis. Our goal was to establish a correlation between clinical criteria and brain CT scan results.MethodsThis was a retrospective, descriptive, and analytical study of patients admitted for stroke to the neurology department of the Joseph Raseta University Hospital in Befelatanana from October 2018 to September 2019.ResultsWe selected 237 predominantly male patients (sex ratio of 1.2), with a mean age of 58 years. Within the first 5 days of stroke, significant correlations were observed between the presence of aphasia and superficial artery stroke, between apraxia and superficial artery stroke, between agnosia and superficial artery stroke, between neglect and superficial artery stroke, between impairment of higher functions and perforating artery stroke, and between alternating syndrome, or cerebellar syndrome, and posterior circulation stroke.Conclusion:A well-conducted clinical examination aids in the management of stroke while awaiting a brain CT scan. Clinical criteria were correlated with the topography of the artery affected during stroke.