Large vessel occlusion after a mini stroke predicts functional decline
Sometimes called a "mini stroke,"
a transient ischemic attack (TIA)
can be a sign of an imminent
stroke within 3 months following
its occurrence. A blockage in the
brain's large artery, known as an
intracranial large vessel occlusion
(LVO), is responsible for a large
number of strokes. A recent study
that explored the frequency of
intracranial LVO in patients with
TIAs found that 13 percent of
patients with TIA had an
intracranial LVO and attendant
declines in functional status.
Those participating in this study
were patients suspected of acute
stroke or TIA who arrived at two
urban academic medical centers
within 24 hours of symptom onset.
All patients underwent CT
imaging and angiograms to
determine if they had a stroke or a
TIA. A total of 97 patients were
diagnosed with a TIA. Of these,
13 had symptomatic intracranial
LVO. This LVO was an
independent predictor of decline in
functional status. The LVO was
also a significant predictor of poor
outcome, even after adjusting for
age and gender. The study was
supported in part by the Agency
for Healthcare Research and
Quality (HS11392).
See "Intracranial large vessel
occlusion as a predictor of decline
in functional status after transient
ischemic attack," by Sharon N.
Poisson, M.D., Mai N. Nguyen-Huynh, M.D., M.A.S., S.
Claiborne Johnston, M.D., Ph.D.,
and others in Stroke 42, pp. 44-47,
2011.
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