Searching for the Etiology of a Stroke: How Far Should We Go?

An assessment of transesophageal echocardiography in patients with embolic-appearing strokes suggests that TEE has value in certain patients.

Among patients with ischemic stroke, common etiologies include large-vessel atherosclerosis, cardioembolic conditions such as atrial fibrillation (AF), and small vessel occlusive-disease. However, an estimated 20% to 30% have “embolic-looking” strokes on neuroimaging studies, yet a specific source of embolism is not established. To assess the value of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with embolic-appearing strokes of no clear cause, researchers evaluated 61 patients who met study criteria for unexplained stroke out of 1134 ischemic stroke patients.

The 61 participants underwent TEE (mean age, 44 years; median NIH Stroke Scale score, 5). Ten of these patients had a change in management based on TEE results, including five pa…

Reviewing Author

Seemant Chaturvedi, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBayer Pharmaceuticals; Novartis

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Editorial BoardsNeurology; Stroke

Seemant Chaturvedi, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBayer Pharmaceuticals; Novartis

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Editorial BoardsNeurology; Stroke

Searching for the Etiology of a Stroke: How Far Should We Go?

Topics

Reviewing Author