PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - G J Hankey
TI  - When the patient fails to respond to treatment: TIAs that go on, and on
AID  - 10.1136/jnnp.2007.139378
DP  - 2008 Apr 01
TA  - Practical Neurology
PG  - 103--111
VI  - 8
IP  - 2
4099  - http://pn.bmj.com/content/8/2/103.short
4100  - http://pn.bmj.com/content/8/2/103.full
SO  - Pract Neurol2008 Apr 01; 8
AB  - Most transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) stop, with or without treatment, but some are followed by stroke within days or longer. But if the TIAs do not stop then the diagnosis must be reviewed (are they really TIAs or could they be migraine or epilepsy?), and if they are TIAs, what are they caused by (atherothromboembolism, embolism from the heart, etc)? With this information, both the medical and any surgical treatment can be optimised, even though one must accept that the randomised controlled trials mostly have not addressed the particular issue of continuing TIAs.