Transesophageal echocardiographic findings in subcortical and cortical stroke.

Historically, subcortical stroke is believed to be secondary to intracranial small vessel disease. In this study, transesophageal echocardiographic findings such as aortic atherosclerotic disease and other potential cardiac sources of emboli were common in patients with subcortical stroke, supporting a multifactorial etiology for subcortical stroke and a role for transesophageal echocardiography in this patient population.