RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Do Transient Ischemic Attacks with Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Abnormalities Correspond to Brain Infarctions? JF American Journal of Neuroradiology JO Am. J. Neuroradiol. FD American Society of Neuroradiology SP 1782 OP 1787 VO 27 IS 8 A1 C. Oppenheim A1 C. Lamy A1 E. Touzé A1 D. Calvet A1 M. Hamon A1 J.-L. Mas A1 J.-F. Méder YR 2006 UL http://www.ajnr.org/content/27/8/1782.abstract AB BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Our aim was to determine whether diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) changes associated with transient ischemic attack (TIA) are reversible or correspond to permanent tissue injury.METHODS: Among 103 consecutive patients admitted for TIA, 36 (34.9%) had abnormalities on initial DWI (delay from TIA = 30 ± 33 hours [mean ± SD]). Thirty-three patients (59 DWI lesions) had an MR imaging follow-up (delay from TIA = 10.6 ± 5 months) including fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, T2, DWI, and 3D T1-weighted sequences. For each lesion, we recorded the quantitative parameters on initial DWI (volume, apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC]) and performed a comparison between reversible and irreversible lesions.RESULTS: MR imaging failed to detect any permanent injury in 7 patients and identified subsequent infarct in regions corresponding to the original DWI abnormalities in 26 patients (79%). Of the 59 lesions initially identified on DWI, 45 (76.3%) were associated with permanent injury on follow-up MR imaging. The DWI volume was significantly larger (0.91 ± 1.7 versus 0.21 ± 0.21 cm3, P = .003) and the ADC ratio values lower (79 ± 15% versus 91 ± 9%, P = .001) in lesions with subsequent infarct than in those that were fully reversible.CONCLUSION: By showing that most patients with DWI-positive TIAs share the same imaging outcome as stroke patients, our data provide additional support for the redefinition of TIA, which considers that all cases of transient deficit with characteristic neuroimaging abnormalities should be diagnosed as a stroke.