Ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring in patients with transient focal cerebral ischaemia.
Sixty-four patients with transient ischaemic attacks were investigated for the presence of an associated cardiac arrhythmia. 24-hour ambulatory monitoring showed arrhythmia in 41% of patients where the standard ECG had shown arrhythmia in only 25%. Significant arrhythmias were found in 21% of patients with focal transient ischaemic attacks on prolonged monitoring as compared to 7% in a control group. Where arrhythmias were specifically treated there was abolition or improvement of neurological symptoms.
D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*