Characteristics of cerebral artery lesions in patients with limb-shaking transient ischemic attacks and its treatment / 中国医学科学院学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the characteristics of cerebral artery lesions in patients with limb-shaking transient ischemic attacks (LS-TIA) and its treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 20 patients with LS-TIA who received treatment in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2005 to 2008.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Critical stenosis or occlusion of contralateral arteries were found in the siphonic part of internal carotid artery (ICA) in 6 patients, terminal ICA or proximal middle cerebral artery (MCA) in 6 patients, and distal MCA in 1 patient. Seven patients had proximal ICA occlusion. The brain MRI showed typical watershed cerebral infarctions in 8 patients. EEG studies failed to show epileptiform activity associated with LS-TIA, but found focal frontotemporal lobe slow activity in 6 patients, which was consistent with hypoperfusion area in CT perfusion. Six patients received surgical revascularization and no one recurred.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Intracranial artery including the siphonic part of ICA, terminal ICA and proximal MCA stenosis is the main underlying cause of LS-TIA in Chinese, and surgical revascularization may be effective in abolishing the attacks.</p>