Association between clinical features and prognosis of patients with limb-shaking transient ischemic attack.
OBJECTIVE
This review aims to illustrate the relationship between clinical features and the prognosis of patients with limb-shaking transient ischemic attack (LS-TIA).


METHODS
Relevant articles published in two main Chinese medical periodical databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure and China Science Periodical Database) from 1986 to June 2013 were identified with keywords "limb shaking" and "transient ischemic attack".


METHODS
Original articles and case reports about LS-TIA were selected.


RESULTS
A total of 63 cases collected from 19 articles were included in the pooled analysis. LS-TIA presented in two cerebrovascular diseases, of which atherosclerotic high-grade stenosis or occlusion in carotid artery system and moyamoya disease formed 95.2% and 4.8%, respectively. Of 63 patients, 11 (17.5%) were once misdiagnosed as epileptic and prescribed useless antiepilepsy drugs. The multivariable Logistic regression model showed a significant protective effect of patients with revascularization therapy on prognosis, compared with patients treated with drugs (odds ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.05-0.74, P = 0.016).


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic carotid artery system hypoperfusion can induce limb(s) shaking, followed by high possibility of ischemic stroke in the same brain territorial. Revascularization of the responsible artery may work better than conservative drug-based therapy.
Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
Qing-Feng
QF
Ma
Qiang
Q
Huang
Qian
Q
Zhang
Chun-Qiu
CQ
Fan
Xiu-Hai
XH
Guo
Jian
J
Wu
D000368:Aged; D005121:Extremities / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis