title: Outcome of TIAs of unknown aetiology following non-invasive evaluation.
abstract: A proportion of patients with apparently classical transient ischaemic attacks (TIA), will have no cause for their symptoms discovered when investigated. We have reviewed 74 patients with TIA and a further 28 with amaurosis fugax whose symptoms remained unexplained following non-invasive carotid evaluation using pulsed Doppler imaging with spectrum analysis. After a mean follow-up of 31.7 months, 48.6% of TIA patients were symptom free, 36.5% had experienced recurrent symptoms and 8.1% had suffered a stroke. Among the patients with amaurosis fugax the equivalent figures were 32.1% symptom free, 42.7% recurrent symptoms, and 10.7% stroke. These figures suggest that unexplained TIAs do not necessarily have a benign prognosis and more extensive or repeated investigation of these patients is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Surgical Unit, Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, U.K.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: R O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Quin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001766:Blindness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D014463:Ultrasonography