Transient Ischemic Attack
In a transient ischemic attack (TIA), blood supply to part of the brain is decreased for a short period of time leading to temporary dysfunction of the brain tissue in that area. A TIA represents a warning sign of a potential stroke just as chest pain is a warning sign of a potential heart attack.
A TIA occurs when a blood vessel that supplies a part of the brain becomes blocked for a short period of time. TIA symptoms are just like stroke symptoms except that they are brief and do not result in permanent damage to brain tissue.
Diagnosing Transient Ischemic Attack
MRI scanning can be used to detect the source of TIAs by identifying blood vessels that are disease. Cardiac testing is also used to detect if a TIA was caused by a heart condition. Urgent identification of the cause of a TIA and initiation of treatment can prevent a stroke from ever occurring. For patient assistance, the treatment team at Emory uses multidisciplinary physician teams, state-of-the-art technology and the highest quality patient care.
