RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 When the patient fails to respond to treatment: TIAs that go on, and on
JF Practical Neurology
JO Pract Neurol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 103
OP 111
DO 10.1136/jnnp.2007.139378
VO 8
IS 2
A1 G J Hankey
YR 2008
UL http://pn.bmj.com/content/8/2/103.abstract
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.