Stroke Prediction after TIA: Avoiding an Alphabet Soup

Prediction of the risk of stroke after transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is important. In the USA, more than 300 000 TIAs are diagnosed every year and more than 10% of patients have a stroke within 90 days after a TIA; thus, the potential consequences of TIA are debilitating and expensive. However, investigation is also expensive and 10% stroke risk means that 90% of patients with TIA remain stable; therefore, blanket policies to assess patients extensively—often by observation in hospital—might be wasteful. We generally accept that many patients should be treated to prevent a devastating outcome; however, if we can use methods to target expensive interventions to patients who really need them, then everyone wins. Addition of brain and carotid imaging to the ABCD2 score to identify patients at early risk of stroke after transient ischaemic attack: a multicentre observational studyThe ABCD3-I score can improve risk stratification after transient ischaemic attack in secondary care settings. However, use of ABCD3 cannot be recommended without further validation. Full-Text PDF