Analysis of 51 patients with frequent transient ischemic attack related to internal carotid artery

Objective To investigate the clinical features of frequent transient ischemic attack(TIA) and the features of stenosis of internal carotid artery.Methods 51 patients with frequent TIA related to internal carotid artery were retrospectively analyzed.Results The most common clinical manifestation of all the 51 patients was unilateral weakness(59%),followed by unilateral weakness with sensory disturbance(27%),aphasia(8%),sensory disturbance(6%).The average duration time was 23 minutes.The mean ABCD2 score was 4.1.Four patients developed ischemic stroke within one week after attack.Vascular stenosis of internal carotid system occurred in 33(65%) patients,18(35%) patients with intracranial stenosis,10(20%) patients with extracranial stenosis,5(10%) patients with both intracranial and extracranial stenosis.Patients with mild,moderate,severe stenosis were 7(14%),11(22%),15(29%),respectively.Conclusions The most common clinical manifestation of frequent TIA related to internal carotid artery is unilateral weakness.The stenosis rate of internal carotid system is 65%,mainly intracranial.