Transient ischemic attack: risk stratification and treatment.
A major challenge facing the physician evaluating patients with transient ischemic attack is determining which patients are at highest short-term risk of stroke. A number of stratification schemes have been recently developed incorporating easily obtainable clinical information about the individual patient. Further, emerging data suggest a role for brain and vascular imaging in risk stratification. Many aspects of acute management of transient ischemic attack, such as which patients should be hospitalized and choice of acute antithrombotic therapy, remain controversial because of a lack of evidence from controlled trials. For longer-term prevention, there is much firmer evidence from multiple large randomized trials, and these data are reviewed in this article.
Cucchiara
Brett
B
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. cucchiar@mail.med.upenn.edu
Ross
Michael
M
D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014859:Warfarin / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000925:Anticoagulants; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D014859:Warfarin; D001241:Aspirin