| Summary points: | A 49-year-old presents with sudden onset of unsteady gait and vertigo that was unremitting with eye closure and not posturally related. This case report details the findings from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging performed 12 hours after symptom onset as well as follow-up imaging scans. The authors discuss the advantages and disadvantages of diffusion-weighted imaging and possible reasons for the occasional failure to demonstrate an acute infarction. |