The patient with transient cerebral ischemia: a golden opportunity for stroke prevention.

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) provides a golden opportunity for stroke prevention. TIA should be treated as a medical emergency with prompt investigations to determine the mechanism of ischemia and subsequent preventive therapy. The risk of stroke after TIA is estimated to be 10%-20% in the first 90 days. The risk is time-dependent with 50% of the risk accruing in the first 48 hours. In this review, we describe the diagnosis and management of TIA, introduce new concepts in TIA and suggest that all patients with significant TIA should undergo rapid investigation and management to prevent stroke.