ESPRIT: is aspirin plus dipyridamole superior to aspirin alone in TIA or minor stroke patients?

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a (minor) ischemic stroke increases the risk of a recurrent stroke or death. Antiplatelet therapy with aspirin or clopidogrel is, in the absence of a potential cardiac embolic source, common practice to lower this risk. Until recently, adjuvant dipyridamole or low intensity oral anticoagulation were not generally prescribed in secondary prevention. In this article, we will summarize and discuss the published results of the European/Australasian Stroke Prevention in Reversible Ischemia Trial (ESPRIT). In this trial, treatments with anticoagulants, aspirin alone and the combination of aspirin plus dipyridamole were compared, in a multicenter, three-armed, randomized, open-label study in patients with TIA or minor stroke.