How should transient ischaemia and small stroke be investigated?
How should transient ischaemia and small stroke be investigated?
The first port of call if a patient is suspected of having a TIA is to make sure there is no structural cause or tumour, says Dr Jason Wenderoth, an interventional neuroradiologist in Sydney.
If a CT scan identified a source in the neck, then the patient must be evaluated quickly with a view to early intervention. This reduces the risk of a major stroke.
Patients without a clear cause are technically at a lower risk of a major stroke, but not zero. A reasonably expeditious echocardiography to look for a cardiac source is worthwhile in those patients.
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