CT/CT Angiography and MRI Findings Predict Recurrent Stroke After Transient Ischemic Attack and Minor Stroke

Abstract

Background and Purpose—Transient ischemic attack and minor stroke portend a substantial risk of recurrent stroke. MRI can identify patients at high risk for a recurrent stroke. However, MRI is not commonly available as an emergency. If similarly clinically predictive, a CT/CT angiographic (CTA) imaging strategy would be more widely applicable. Methods—Five hundred ten patients with consecutive transient ischemic attack and minor stroke underwent CT/CTA and subsequent MRI. We assessed the risk of recurrent stroke within 90 days using standard clinical variables and predefined abnormalities on the CT/CTA (acute ischemia on CT and/or intracranial or extracranial occlusion or stenosis ≥50%) and MRI (diffusion-weighted imaging-positive). Results—There were 36 recurrent strokes (7.1%; 95% CI, 5.0–9.6). Median time to the event was 1 day (interquartile range, 7.5). Median time from onset to CTA was 5.5 hours (interquartile range, 6.4 hours) and to MRI was 17.5 hours (interquartile range, 12 hours). Symptoms ongo...